P.S. 207 students gave back all year

Students at Howard Beach’s P.S. 207 are proving learning doesn’t have to be limited to the classroom.
The Builder’s Club and the K-kids, two groups of students who take on community service projects throughout the school year, were honored for their commitment with a luncheon at Carosello Restaurant on Cross Bay Boulevard.
The K-kids, comprised of younger students, had their luncheon on Monday, December 10, while the older kids in the Builder’s Club were honored on Tuesday, December 11.
The projects taken on by the 217 kids who call themselves K-Kid or Builder’s Club members do not fit any particular mold. Instead, they vary, from collecting clothes for the needy to sending cards and packages overseas to soldiers fighting in Iraq.
Recently, the group took part in a City Harvest, collecting over 500 pounds of food for the less fortunate. The students also marched in this year’s Columbus Day Parade, collected toys and baby items for the Skyway homeless shelter, made posters to hang in Peninsula Hospital, and collected food and clothing for a shelter for battered women.
What’s more, said P.S. 207 Parent Coordinator Nina De Blasio, the students’ work is all extracurricular.
“They’re giving up their own time,” she said. “This isn’t during school hours or anything like that. They’re volunteering. It’s more than just signing your name up on a piece of paper. These kids do a lot.”
The K-kids and Builder’s Club are chartered by the Ozone Park Kiwanis Club, but Club Secretary Ed Klinger, who was present to address students at the December 11 luncheon, said the kids have long-since surpassed expectations.
“They’ve made a huge impact on the community,” said Klinger. “They’re actually the ones teaching us community service. They’ve gone well beyond us. They’re little dynamos.”
There is no shortage of understanding among the students as to the importance of the work they do.
“The best part is the feeling you get from giving,” said seventh grader Chris Gentile, 12. “People really appreciate it.”
“Helping in the community is the reason I got into this,” added eighth grader Shannon Cirulnick, 13.
The students feasted on hot dogs, cheeseburgers, pizza, macaroni and cheese, soda and more - all of which was well-deserved.
“It’s important that they start participating in community service at a young age,” said De Blasio. “If it’s instilled in them, they’ll keep doing it when they’re older.”