This was our last meeting with our conact, Dennis. We all were able to attend this meeting, and met in the library like always. We discused our future fundraising projects, and our goals as far as supplies. We figured out that the materials in highest demand were pencil cases, and binders. As binders are expensive we decided to purchase the binders with the money we will raise. Next, we poseted a chart of our supplies in front of the 7th grade classrooms to raise awarness. This took a good ten minutes. As of now, the mot important material YOU can donate is paper, binders, and pencil pouches. PLEASE bring in any unused paper.

We met afterschool in the library. Miral, Chase, Bryce, and Dennis. and I. We discused our last meeting, which was our visit top the PS 335 in the Bronx. We all discused what we thought about it, our reactions, etc. We all agreed we enjoyed the experience. Next we discused the videos we took at the school. What were we going to do with them? Where are they? How much footage do we have? We decided to use our videos as our presentation for our teach in, and let the children see our interviews. We also came up with a plan of action for the next couplke of weeks.

Yesterday Miral, Chase, Jason, Ivo, Bryce, Dennis and I all left school early at 2:20. We went uptown to the Bronx via the subway to visit a school that had received supplies from  our organization. When I left the subway station (after a 30 minute subway ride), the first thing I noticed was the bad state of the neighborhood. There were many dilapidated houses and I looked a lot like the bleak slum I had seen in many Hollywood movies. Images from ‘Boys in the Hood’ pooped in my head. I noticed that most of the people walking around were of Latin-American descent. Soon after a short walk we reached the school. It looked so much different from what I had read of poorer public schools. It was in a great condition. It was well decorated and there seemed to be so much vibrant life inside the building. It looked better then most of the schools I have been to in my life, and this was one of the low-income ‘ghetto’ schools I had heard about. Many illusions I had died the minute I entered the school. Next we took a short tour of the building, passing lines and lines of children going to after school programs. The first person we interviewed was the art teacher. Once we started talking to people, I realized that despite the happy colors and decorations, these kids faced tons of hardships everyday. More than I can even start to imagine. My heart started to go out to these kids, it really did. On girl described getting the free school supplies like ‘having a huge door of opportunity open for me. It was like a flame inside me.’ The most moving interview we did though, was with the parent teacher coordinator, who is the link between the school and the parents. There she told us of some of the hardships endured by these brave kids. In fact, she told us when the kids got the supplies at the beginning of the year, most of the kids and parents were moved beyond anything else. ‘They said it felt as if someone else cared for their child, and wanted them to succeed as much as they do. It really moved them.’ We also talked to the assistant principal, and by the time we left, I had a greater understanding a respect for these brave kids and the tough community they live in.

On Wednesday Jason, Chase, Miral, Bryce, Ivo, Karen and I all met up with Dennis Kitchen again in the library. This time we disscused the need to promote awarness about the organization, and to raise money for the expensive binders that we desperately need. We brainstormed ideas for most of the session. I recorded all the ideas we came up with into my Writers Note Book which I still had with me from the Lit Fest that was right before it. We decided to make posters and post them in strategic places around the school to remind people to donate, and we agreed that we wanted to make some sort of competition where the class that donates the most gets a prize (undecided as of yet). For the last ten minutes we worked out some scheduling issues and decided to make a video to show during a Middle School Meeting about our cause and our efforts so far.

Yesterday, February 4th, Ivo, Miral, Bryce, Jason, and I all met Dennis Kitchen, our contact from the charity we are working for, Getting Tools To City Schools. This organization, headed by Dennis Kitchen, gives free school supplies to poor public school children who cant afford to get school supplies themselves. First, we sat down in the library and introduced ourselves. Then Dennis Kitchen showed us a promo video from the organization. We discussed the problem, and possible solutions. After this, we decided to count the supplies we have already raised in the charity box we have set in the lobby during the past few weeks. This took a good thirty minutes. Once we were done, we found out that we had far more supplies than initially anticipated, but we still need many more supplies to reach our goal. By this time it was 5:10, and we had spent a little over an hour with Dennis Kitchen. Continue to donate in the box!

Benjamin Ross