WHEN GIVING IS THE BEST GIFT OF ALL

During the month of March, Bretton Woods Elementary School students in Co-Teachers Danielle Sukoff’s and Elia Figari’s fourth class collected new baseball-style hats for the Pediatric Department of Hematology/Oncology at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital. “Chemotherapy treatments can cause children to lose their hair. Wearing a hat can help keep the children warm and also help them to feel ‘normal’ during their treatment,” stated Sukoff. “Kids undergoing treatment do not want to stand out, they are kids just like everyone else. Getting a brand new baseball-style hat can be fun and cool.”

Sukoff and Figari wanted to focus on the importance of manners and respect toward others with this initiative. “When speaking about manners, we thought about ways that we can be polite, kind and respectful. We also wanted our class to learn about the gift of giving,” described Figari. “Our goal was to make the process of giving a natural part of our students’ lives. When generosity feels personal and gratifying, children are more likely to grow into kind, charitable and generous adults. Our hope is that our students will develop a spirit of generosity and will discover how giving can actually be the best gift of all.”