The holiday season provided the students of Flushing school P.S. 22 with a chance to help out other children through “Children Helping Children: Lighting Up Our Community.”
This marked the second year of the program, which was held with the Buddha’s Light International Association/Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Temple. The school and the association collected more than 200 items, such as toys and winter accessories, to donate to children and parents at New York Hospital Queens.
“This [the holiday season] is a time when we have a chance to learn sharing, to learn to give,” said Abbess Venerable Cheuhchuan of the temple. She thanked the children for their efforts to help the community.
“Children Helping Children” culminated on December 18, when 20 fourth and fifth grade students from P.S. 22 went to the temple to help wrap the presents. All of the children are members of the school’s student government, which does various projects throughout the year that benefit the community.
Safana Khurram, a fourth grader, said that she was excited and happy to be able to help other children. She said the best part of the project was getting to wrap the presents.
Also a fourth grader, Ben Lee agreed that wrapping was the best part.
“It feels good [to be able to help] because if you help other kids you are helping the world to be a better place,” Lee said.
P.S. 22 teacher Rosemary Hamel said that the students are always enthusiastic and are more than happy to volunteer. She also described them as being very giving and kind to others.
“They couldn’t wait to come here and do this,” Hamel said on the day they wrapped the presents.
Hamel also said that the school teaches the children that they can be philanthropists and give back, whether it is through a toy drive or by giving friendship.
