The following is from Hewlett Elementary School
Hewlett Elementary School students recently visited St. Mary’s Hospital for Children in Bayside, bringing toys for the holidays and monetary donations that were raised during their bake sale earlier this month.
St. Mary’s provides assistance to special needs students and children with debilitative diseases. The money and gift certificates are especially needed at this time, since many children who receive health care and educational services at St. Mary’s are from Far Rockaway and Freeport, communities that were significantly affected by Hurricane Sandy. Hewlett Elementary’s Student Council has been going there for the past several years — it is a place that does great things for kids, and our students come back feeling that their efforts make a difference, in some small way.
The students were given a tour of the new wing of the hospital that includes a music therapy center, an art room, a hydrotherapy pool, a physical therapy center and a kids store. They learned how these specialized, state of the art facilities contribute to improving the health and daily life activities of the children. Our students put gifts under the tree and at the end of the visit, gathered outside to see Santa come down from the roof of the hospital, thanks to the firemen from the Bayside Ladder Company who volunteer their time every year during the holiday season.
Student Council Secretary Talia Winiarsky, a fourth grader, wrote, “This experience was special because all of the patients we saw greeted us, said hi, and smiled. It was good to see that we were making patients happy. We got to cheer the kids up, which was the best part of all!”
