Shore Road students helped defray tuition costs for an African child hoping to attend school in Mtwapa, Kenya. The generous students raised more than $155 for Reason 2 Smile, a nonprofit organization providing opportunities for children to attend the Jambo Jipya school and to live in the quarters of the accompanying children’s home. The students made and sold bracelets to peers and family members for their generous donation. 

Principal Patrice Matthews told the students that reaching out to the global community aligns with the important core values and leadership principles of the district’s Bellmore Stars Character Development program. “There are children around the world that don’t have our luxuries or schools in their communities,” Ms. Matthews told the students. “We want to make a lasting footprint in the world.”

During an assembly earlier in the year, executive director Donna Rosenblum gave a presentation to the student body about the school and life in Mtwapa, noting that annual tuition costs $250 per student for the 22 orphans that live there. She also showed the students photos of her trips to Jambo Jipya and of students who have graduated to become professionals due to the generosity of donors. Ms. Rosenblum also donated Patricia Newman’s “Neema’s Reason to Smile” to the school library.