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Mostly Cloudy Franklin Square elementary students lead the way for school fundraiser
Polk Street Elementary School held a walk/run for Camp ANCHOR (Answering the Needs of Citizens with Handicaps through Organized Recreation) on a beautiful and sunny afternoon in Franklin Square. Students from kindergarten and grades one through six participated in this fundraiser that was coordinated by staff members of the school and principal Gilbert A. Torossian.
Located in Lido Beach, Camp ANCHOR provides programs for children and adults with special needs. They were selected this year by Polk Street’s Compact Committee for students to partake in fundraising.
“We’re hoping to raise enough to help fund an arts program for their older children and it looks like we’re going to be able to do that,” said principal Torossian. “The children all collect their little donations and then what they do is they walk or run around our field.”
The starting line for the walk/run was decorated with a large balloon arch and kids from the elementary school were seen walking and running with their fellow classmates. The students also got to dance and exercise with a Zumba Fitness coordinator.
Their walk/run fundraiser is held annually and this year, they raised over $1,200 for Camp ANCHOR. Principal Torossian was thrilled to know that his students can learn to make a difference.
“We talk about character education all the time with kids but when they actually get to see what it is that they’re collecting funds for, it goes the extra mile,” said Torossian. “It’s not just about collecting quarters or dollars, it’s about making somebody’s life that much better.”
Polk Street Elementary holds several other fundraising events during the school year including a cookie drive, a toy drive, a food drive and a quarters drive. With fundraisers like the walk/run, principal Torossian wants his students to fully recognize the influence that they can have on other people.
In his own words, he plans on “Getting them to understand that they can have a bigger impact even though their kids, that they can change the world even just a little bit.”
