Riverside School's 'Holidays For Haiti' Effort A Huge Success

GREENWICH, CT — A school-wide community service effort this month at Riverside Elementary School is being called a huge success.

"Holidays for Haiti," where Riverside's K-5 students collected holiday gifts for "Danita's Children," was celebrated on Nov. 16. Danita's Children educates more than 300 students in Haiti from kindergarten through high school, and the Riverside initiative was helped a local elementary school in the island country.

The Riverside students put together more than 300 packets of gifts and necessities to donate to Danita's Children worth more than $5,500. The packets, along with home made cards made by Riverside students, will be mailed out to Danita’s Children in early December.

"We are thrilled with the success of this event," said Riverside School Principal Christopher Weiss in a statement. "This project allowed our students to give back in tangible ways, and impact those in need in a meaningful and lasting manner."

A joint effort between Riverside School and the PTA, the event was "designed to help foster more community involvement, and encourage a culture of giving back with its student population throughout the year," according to organizers.

Leading up to the event the school built excitement for the event by giving lunchtime presentations, engaging in poster marking, and educating students through classroom visits.

Photo 1: Riverside students Sophie Estrada, left, and Khushi Choudhary; Photo 2: students Peggie Potter, left, and Annie Stanley, right; Photo 3: cards by the Riverside students. Photo credit: Contributed

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