Number of Participants: 25
Hours Donated: 10
Value of Time Served: $2,113
Event Amount Raised: $2,589
Event Type: Children & Youth
Sport: Schools
Date: June 1, 2017
Location:
108 Merrick Avenue Merrick
New York 11566, United States
About:
For the third consecutive year, sixth-graders at Chatterton School in the Merrick School District raised more than $2,500 for Reagan, an elementary school student in Kenya, through their “Acts of Kindness” fundraiser. The funds were given to the nonprofit organization Reason2Smile to provide another year of schooling for the young student.
Established two years ago by the Class of 2015, the Chatterton graduating class has been providing Reagan with a full year of schooling, supplies and the opportunity to learn in a classroom.
According to its website, Reason2Smile’s mission is to financially assist impoverished orphans and at-risk children living in developing countries. The organization strives to create healthy, sustainable environments through local, revenue-producing projects and seeks to give these children a reason to smile by providing them with a safe living environment, proper nutrition and quality education.
With a fundraising goal of $350 – the cost of sending an elementary child to school for an entire year – the sixth-graders held a two-week drive in which students found sponsors to support their kind acts. From April 26 through May 10, the sixth-graders recorded their acts of kindness, and sponsors contributed either a flat rate amount for their participation or assigned any dollar amount of their choosing for each act performed. The students’ good deeds included cleaning their bedrooms, including others during recess, assisting a sibling with their homework and helping their parents with household chores.
On May 11, Donna Rosenblum, CEO of Reason2Smile and a former Chatterton parent, paid a special visit to the school. She spoke to students about Keela Dates, the founder of Reason2Smile, as well as the Jambo Jipya school and children’s home in Kenya. She also discussed how the funds raised in excess of the goal can benefit the school’s infrastructural needs, including the construction of a new library, and shared stories from her most recent trip to Kenya.
To supplement their efforts, the sixth-grade students organized a sale of Reason2Smile bracelets to the children of Chatterton. They got the whole school involved by speaking to each class about their involvement with the organization and sold $800 worth of bracelets to the school over three days. This lead to a total amount of $2,589 being raised for the cause, which was presented to Mrs. Rosenblum in the form of a check.
The district commends the Chatterton Class of 2017 for their benevolent acts and thanks all of the Chatterton School faculty and administrators who made this event successful.
Photo Captions:
1) Members of the Chatterton School graduating class presented Reason2Smile CEO Donna Rosenblum with a check for $2,589 from their “Acts of Kindness” fundraiser to support the education of a Kenyan student.
2) Chatterton School sixth-graders (from left) Ava Marcus, Mariel Pusateri and Joseph Polanco posed for a picture with Reason2Smile CEO Donna Rosenblum and her son, Ryan Rosenblum (right).
Photos courtesy of the Merrick School District