PS 221 students take part in national charity movement

#GivingTuesday takes place Dec. 2

November 28, 2014 By Paula Katinas Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Students from PS 221 are all set for their special day on Dec. 2. Photo courtesy Learning Leaders

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Students from a Crown Heights elementary school are taking part in a national movement aimed at improving lives in communities all across the country.

P.S. 221 students will be participants in #GivingTuesday, an event on Dec. 2, which uses social media sites like Twitter and Facebook to encourage people to work to help make life better for residents in their communities.

P.S. 221 is working in partnership with Learning Leaders, a non-profit organization that works to increase parental involvement in schools, on its #GivingTuesday project.

The #GivingTuesday campaign at P.S. 221 will feature students and parent volunteers answering the question “Why do you need Learning Leaders?” in short videos that will be posted on Facebook and Twitter. The responses include one from an 8-year-old student named Ammy, who says that Learning Leaders helps her understand the work she is doing, and another student, 6-year-old Marcus, who says he needs Learning Leaders to help him to spell.

The videos are aimed at demonstrating the importance of the work done by Learning Leaders to foster student success, officials said. Learning Leaders is currently involved in 250 public schools in the five boroughs.

The idea behind #GivingTuesday is to harness the collective power of charities, businesses and individuals to generate action around the holidays dedicated to giving, according to the organization’s website. The founders of #GivingTuesday are seeking to have the Tuesday after Thanksgiving become a national day of charity, similar to how Black Friday has become synonymous with the start of the holiday shopping season.

The #GivingTuesday movement, which was launched in 2012, has caught the attention of the White House.

“But in just a few short years, #GivingTuesday has emerged as a potent new model of online and offline engagement that was pioneered in our country but has taken root around the world,” a statement on the White House website reads.

P.S. 221 works with Learning Leaders year-round to involve the school’s families in supporting their children’s educations, through family information workshops and volunteer programs.

Jane Heaphy, executive director of Learning Leaders, said that #GivingTuesday “reminds all of us that the holiday season is really about coming together and giving back.”

Philton M. Lewis, parent coordinator at P.S. 221, said the school has enjoyed the #GivingTuesday project. “We are delighted to have worked with Learning Leaders on a project that will benefit countless students, families and schools in our city by enabling the provision of family involvement programs that are a vital component of student success,” Lewis said.

The group includes many parent volunteers. “I became a Learning Leader to help kids and not only my kids but all children that might need help,” parent volunteer Averil Mason said.

The Board of Directors at Learning Leaders will match each #GivingTuesday gift received with $100.

For more information, visit the Learning Leader website at www.learningleaders.org.