Monday, December 15, 2008

Manhasset Students for Peace Through Understanding

By Marc Haskins

In a house in a small village with a median household income twice that of New York State on a recent Saturday afternoon, students, cross-legged and kneeling, packaged books for one of the region’s neediest charities.

The group of 10 students—members of Manhasset Students for Peace Through Understanding—gathered over 1,000 books during a month-long book drive. They will be donated to the Brooklyn Bureau of Community Service, a charity included in the New York Times’ Neediest Cases Fund.

“Depending on whether they give each kid one or two books, about a thousand kids will have something for Christmas,” said Elena Schietinger, an adviser to the student group and mother of 14-year-old Cole Schietinger, who organized the coalition.

Cole Schietinger started Manhasset Students for Peace Through Understanding after a trip to Washington D.C. in the seventh-grade led him to People to People International. Manhasset Students is a student chapter of the non-profit group started by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956.

People to People International’s mission, as read on its Web site, is to “enhance international understanding and friendship through educational, cultural and humanitarian activities…”

“I called up friends, I put ads in the paper, and that’s pretty much how the group started, by participation from others,” said Cole Schietinger, a freshman at Regis High School in Manhattan. He added that the group has developed along with the mother organization because of healthy “verbal and financial encouragement.”

Elena Schietinger said her goal as an adviser was to do a project at Christmas that would teach the children “in our privileged community that there is something greater than them.”

She said that she would have liked to see more participants, but that the group has been purposely kept small and the students handpicked based on their desire to be involved. Schietinger said as the students see the success more and more will take on responsibility. “This is part of a learning experience for them too, so they’re learning to become more and more independent,” she said.

Kim Harmeyer is the mother of one of the Manhasset Students members who aided the group during the book drive and hosted the book packaging at her house. “I think it went really well, the response was incredible,” she said. “I didn’t realize we’d get so many books and I think they did a really good job.”

What Does Christmas Mean to You?


Edited by: Allison Wilkinson; Video by: Tom Liodice

Precocity

The book drive showed a level of maturity I rarely see in students so young. Manhasset is a hamlet that enjoys a comfortable means obviously above that of many of its neighboring villages, and for that matter, the most of New York. To see 14-year-olds so enthusiastic and selfless about collecting books for the Brooklyn Bureau of Community Services went against the grain of the materialism that characterizes today's youth.

About People to People International


Edited by: Marc Haskins

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Pleasantly Surprised

To see someone so young want to help others and start a community service group is inspiring.  To see even more teenagers involved with helping others as opposed to being self-involved, is even better.  Not many teenagers want to be involved in helping others, in participating in community service.  And they certainly don't give up their Saturday afternoons.  Yet this Saturday afternoon, I got to spend time with a group of bright, caring, appreciative youngsters.  It gave me a sense of hope, especially for the youth of Manhasset.  

I have lived in this town for over a decade and seen it all- Louis Vuitton-toting 7th graders, cell-phones to the ears of 2nd graders, and teens with their learner's permits driving BMWs.  I overhear the conversations of teens, very self-involved.  I have seen kids treat me like I am from another planet when I tell them that I didn't have a cell phone until I was 16, or that I don't have a fireplace in my room, or any number of other things.  Sometimes these kids just don't realize HOW privileged they are.

To interact with the members of Manhasset Students for Peace Through Understanding was a  breath of fresh air.  Each member was acutely aware of how privileged they really are, and are thankful for being blessed.  Furthermore, they want to do good for others and help those that aren't nearly as fortunate as they are.  Perhaps a marker of Christmas is hope, and these kids gave me just that.

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Doing Something Good in Times of Need

Now's the time of year when its important to pitch in a little bit for the ones who need it most. It is considered the most wonderful time of the year for a reason...plus it makes you put a new perspective on things.

I'll be providing some random thoughts and running commentary throughout the day on our good deed of the season.


What we're doing right now is separating books in separate piles ok pre-K, elementary school, middle school, and high school and adult. One of the difficult things about this is figuring out what books can fit in which categories. I was a teachers assistant for a fifth grade class for a year and I still can't figure it out!


These books will be going to needy charities and will hopefully make a few kids Christmases a little bit better.


So far we've been
 here for about an hour now and we're almost through with separating all the books! 

Needless to say, when we first arrived we almost felt overwhelmed on the amount of books we saw! Hopefully the pictures will do it justice.

Oh and by the way, I'm getting badgered by this kid who's a Rangers fan for being an Islanders fan. I told him I'd mention it here.

I'm very impressed how quickly this is moving along and how organized things are moving. Its 
been a long time since I've done something like this and it does feel good knowing you're doing something worthwhile.

Two hours later...and we're loading books into the back of the van, and I must say I'm impressed with the work we all did, even if I was the subjective punching bag due to my hockey affiliation. They're good kids, I won't hold it against them!

Turns out we have seven more boxes downstairs with a full trunk 
in tow! Overall a successful day here.