Champions_For

(Staten Island, NY) – When the 24 children of Mrs. Martino’s Social Studies class at P.S. 6 on Staten Island were asked who they would like to raise money for as part of their class’s Penny Harvest project, twins Jackie and Julie Moses knew right away, their brother, Alex.

Alex was one of the first students enrolled at the NY Child Learning Institute (NYCLI) in College Point, a program of the Association for the Advancement of the Blind and Retarded (AABR) that helps children with Autism learn critical language, social and academic skills.

Alex takes the trip to Queens every morning because, at the time he was enrolled, NYCLI was the only school in the area that used the Princeton Child Development Institute's (PCDI) effective intervention program. The PCDI program has a proven record of producing significant gains that enable children to develop skills comparable to those of their typical peers.

“The goal is to give these children the opportunity to live as close to a normal life as possible,” said Chris Weldon, Executive Director of AABR.

By raising only pennies, the 24 students on the southern tip of Staten Island were able to donate to 3 worthy causes of their choosing, including $1,500 for Alex and the other students at NYCLI, all the way in Northern Queens.

In total, the students at P.S. 6 raised nearly $4,000 since the planning process began in October. They also shared their harvest with a home for Cerebral Palsy on Staten Island and John Hudson, a young boy born with a very rare skin disease called Epidermolysis Bullosa.

While raising this many pennies is impressive, the maturity and decision making is what most impressed their teacher, “The way they work together to come to a decision is amazing,” said Mrs. Martino. “They do it all on their own.”

For more information on the New York Child Learning Institute, please visit www.NYCLI.org. Information on the Penny Harvest can be found at www.Commoncents.org.



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