Jack Abrams School Students’ Gift Goes a Long Way
Life in Togo, West Africa is a far different experience for folks there than the typical Huntington resident enjoys here. In some ways, the kids and adults are just trying to survive another day. To help them do just that, a group of Jack Abrams Intermediate School students donated $1,696, the proceeds of an art fundraiser, to Hope Through Health, an international organization that offers technical and financial assistance to community-directed health initiatives in that faraway land.
While some might think the amount donated is an insignificant sum, it isn’t. In fact, the money will provide anti-retroviral therapy (ART) medication and an assortment of related services to HIV-AIDS patients in Togo over the coming year.
Togo is one of the poorest nations in the world, with a per capita income of only $270. A stunning 58 percent of the population lives in extreme poverty, managing on less than $1 a day.
The Jack Abrams School students presented a check to HTH Executive Director Jennifer Schechter at an early summer assembly program at the school. The amount represented the proceeds from the silent auction sale of 44 pieces of art work and knitwear along with a bake sale. Students gave up their recess periods for months to create the art, providing them with an investment of time, effort and energy in the initiative.
Maureen Giordano, a Huntington parent and member of the HTH executive board, helped organize the auction, with Jack Abrams School Principal Mary Stokkers and members of the Shared Decision-Making Committee. Art teacher Karen Morea played a key role in making the show a reality. “It was a wonderful project and the kids really felt good about their participation and what they were able to accomplish,” Mrs. Giordano said.
Ms. Schechter, a 2000 graduate of Huntington High School, obtained an undergraduate degree at Georgetown University and served for two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Togo. There she met fellow Peace Corps member Kevin Fiori, Jr, who later founded HTH and now serves as its associate director while he attends medical school. Ms. Schechter brought Mr. Fiori to Jack Abrams School for the check presentation ceremony. A few days later the couple was married.
The appearance at the school was a homecoming for Ms. Schechter, who studied there as a little girl when the building was named Huntington Elementary School. The mothers of both Ms. Schechter and Mr. Fiori also attended the ceremony in the gym, which was filled to capacity.
Hope Through Health provides comprehensive medical, nutritional and psychosocial services to several thousand adults and children living with HIV/AIDS in Togo. The organization has even expanded its program to prevent the transmission of HIV from mothers to infants.
The Art for ART program could expand to other schools in Huntington or even to other districts. Mrs. Giordano intends to speak with the Jack Abrams School Shared Decision-Making Committee about the initiative for 2009/10.
For further information about Hope Through Health contact Ms. Schechter at jschechter@hthglobal.org or visit the Hope Through Health website at www.hthglobal.org.
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