Teamwork between the Student Congress service committee at Patrick M. Villano School and the high school Key Club was a success. The two student groups collected donations for the homeless in New York City.
“I think that helping the poor in NYC is a good deed to do and it brings joy to us by helping others,” Sophia Earle, a sixth grader, explained. “I think it really makes a difference for the homeless because they can get things they never would have afforded and have necessities that everyone should have.We are so much more fortunate than them, having things that they would dream of, Helping them lets them have a decent life.”
The high school Key Club did a midnight run the weekend after the fundraiser in January to hand out items donated to the homeless in New York City. Each grade at Villano was assigned a different item to donate. Sixth graders donated toiletries like toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo, soap, and toothbrushes. Fifth graders donated winter gloves, and fourth graders donated winter hats. All gloves and hats were new or gently used.
“I think that it’s good to donate to people in need because in life, some people don’t have the necessities other people use in their daily life,” Fernando Menez Lopez, a sixth grader, said. “Having a fundraiser like this one is a great idea to me because that way, people in need can get what they need to stay healthy and grow. That would make such a big difference to them and their daily life.”
The classes at Villano that donated the most items were Liz Hill’s class in sixth grade, Christina Rivel’s class in fifth grade, and Tricia Mancino’s class in fourth grade. These classes got a reward of having a board game recess in the learning lab at Villano School. Mancino’s class was the overall winner of the fundraiser and donated more than one hundred winter hats. According to Krsity Friedman, one of the teachers who led this fundraiser, there were around 600 total items donated through Villano School.
