Students Fundraise To Help Children With Facial Deformities

RIVERHEAD, NY — Students at the Pulaski Street School are learning life-altering lessons about reaching out to those in need.

Some of the classes at the Pulaski Street School are studying the book "Wonder" in their classrooms; posters and sayings related to the storyline of the book dot the hallways throughout the building, a release from the district said.

"Wonder" is a book about a boy named Auggie, who was born with severe facial deformities.

Picking up on the book's theme, band members, under the direction of Lisa Talmage, organized a fundraiser for SmileTrain, an international children’s charity that provides totally free cleft repair surgery and comprehensive cleft care to children in more than 85 developing countries.

So far, by selling “Gratitude Rocks” at $1 each, the band members have raised $1,250 – enough for five smiles, the release said.

Photo courtesy of the Riverhead Central School District.