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Overcast East Meadow School District celebrates Red Nose Day
East Meadow School District students, staff and residents shared plenty of laughs last Thursday, as hundreds donned oversized, clown-style red noses all day. But the reason why community members wore these comical props was quite serious.
For the first time ever, the PTA Council organized district wide participation in Red Nose Day U.S.A. The annual fundraiser is held nationally for Comic Relief, Inc, a nonprofit organization that supports programs to combat poverty among children.
Red Nose Day was launched in the United Kingdom in 1988 and came to the United States last year. Americans were encouraged to buy red noses at shops like Walgreens and wear them to local fundraising events on Red Nose Day so they had fun while making a difference; the festivities culminated with a live telethon on NBC featuring Hollywood stars, who shared their talents to inspire the nation to give back.
Parkway Elementary School students commemorated Red Nose Day last year, but when PTA Council President Donna LaScala watched the first American telethon and learned more about the cause herself, she said she knew that she wanted to bring it to the entire district in 2016. She thought that participating in such a jovial but important service project would bring the different school communities together.
“I really want to do more and more activities that unify the district,” she said. “It really makes someone feel like they belong to something bigger than just their own school or their own [PTA] unit. It takes all of us to do something impactful.”
As PTA members began to plan for the day of fun and fundraising, the event took on a larger community focus. East Meadow Kiwanis Club leaders and Community Reform Temple of Westbury members volunteered their support, and East Meadow Red Nose Day featured collections for local families in need.
Students and staff in each school building were asked to bring in nonperishable food items last Thursday, LaScala said, which will be given to East Meadow families living under trying circumstances identified by district social workers. CRT will help PTA members distribute the remaining donations to the Mid Island Y JCC and the food pantry at Saint Brigid’s Roman Catholic Church of Westbury, Rabbi Judy Cohen-Rosenberg noted.
Cohen-Rosenberg said CRT members will continue to collect food themselves, adding that she’s reached out to other East Meadow/Salisbury houses of worships about the project. She said she and her congregants were happy to enter into this unique partnership with the school district.
“There are a lot of natural connections happening here,” Cohen-Rosenberg, president of the East Meadow Clergy Association, said. “Helping people out of poverty is one of the missions of churches and synagogues throughout the area…and statistics show that children suffer the most.”
In addition to the food collection, the district raised $611 for Comic Relief through the sale of the red noses. Each school also hosted unique activities; for instance, Red Nose Day was part of Spirit Week at Bowling Green Elementary, and the W.T. Clarke High School Key Club members made food donation boxes for the entire district.
Superintendent Leon Campo applauded the PTA for organizing this initiative, which he said served as an excellent form of character education for children. LaScala said it was a heart-warming day, and she hopes East Meadow Red Nose Day will continue to evolve in the future so that youngsters understand the important of giving to those who are less fotunate than themselves.
“You have no idea who you are sitting next to and what their story is and what their challenges are,” she said. “We have to teach our children that you have to be mindful of what you have and to pass it on.”
