Trumbull's Gifted Students Giving Back

Street children in Mozambique, conquering hunger in Connecticut and tackling childhood illiteracy.

Those are just three of the topics fifth-graders in Trumbull's Academically Gifted Program took on recently, raising money, food and awareness.

"We set up a food drive in the lobby of our school," said Ali Bezhadi, 11, one of the TAG students. The price of groceries and demand for groceries have increased over the years, added Kyle Beck.

Along with Ben Bucci, the three gathered 150 canned goods over two weeks to donate to the Connecticut Food Bank.

The three also interviewed Food Bank officials and Trumbull resident Ann Marie Tarinelli, who runs the Hidden Treasure Bistro. Tarinelli and her volunteers feed and clothe the homeless under the viaduct on John Street in Bridgeport on Sundays.

The students also learned marketing. They advertised their drive with mailers to their fellow students and posters.

Foster Children in Connecticut

Kacy Adams, 10, and Abby Moran studied Foster Children in Connecticut.

"We both ran drives in our schools for school supplies for one and a half weeks," said Adams. "We raised 30 backpacks full of school supplies."

They talked with Amy Wiltsie, a social worker with the state Department of Children and Families. "On any given day, about 15,000 children are in foster care," Adams said.

Adams added that they advertised their drive with fliers. The student knows about foster care first hand because a sibling was adopted.

Illiteracy

Luke Feretti and Tim Farrelly looked for books. "Luke Feretti and I did a book drive. We collected 1,378 books," said Farrelly.

They used posters and fliers. "We also made announcments," Farrelly said. "We got all kinds of books," including signed first editions.

They brought half to Stratford's Parents' Place and half to Read to Grow in Branford. 

They also learned lessons about the long-term effect of illiteracy. "Sometimes its not just adults who need help. It's all ages. Anyone can need help," Farrelly said.

Setup was a challenge too. "It was interesting. It was hard to get the book drive running, but we got it running. It was really good," said Feretti.

Saving Street Kids in Mozambique

Porter Mead, Nigel Hayes and Jessica Doyle chose their project based on an acquaintance of Mead's who runs a mission there.

"They take children off the streets so they can have a family," Hayes said.

Some of the children work on the street while some of the children lived on the street. Some children were thrown out of their homes.

The group had study the region's history, including the planting of landmines that prevented residents from returning to their homes.

The mission, called, "The House of Good Dreams," offers its residents a place to store their possessions because they would get stolen otherwise. The residents also get regular meals.

"Most [on the street] get one a day, if they're lucky," Mead said.

The trio raised more than $600 from a bake sale. Part of the money will be used to buy furniture for the mission, and some will go for items including soccer balls. Soccer is a popular sport there.

"You have to be grateful for what you have no matter what it is," Hayes said.

Both students said they would like to continue to help the mission.

The Full List

The following is the full list of students and their projects: 

• Porter Mead, Jessica Doyle, Nigel Hayes - Street Children in Mozambique, Africa
• Ali Bezhadi, Ben Bucci and Kyle Beck - Conquering Hunger in Connecticut
• Tim Farelly, Luke Feretti - Tackling Childhood Illiteracy
• Cassandra Anelante, Libby Rhodes - Juvenille Diabetes - An Awareness Campaign
• Kacy Adams, Abby Moran - Foster Children in Connecticut
• Daniel Pitagora, Nick Williamson - Hunger in Connecticut
• Cayden Satin, Chris Lackowski - Cancer in Connecticut
• Meredith Faivre, Merritt Stevenson, Isabella Hodson - Teens in Foster Care
• Nick Marinos, Carmen Phan - Food Shortage in Connecticut
• Srishti Pithadia, Soumya Ganti - Helping People with Developmental Disabilities