Past projects 16
Colors of My Rainbow Include Brown and Ebony
Funded Nov 25, 2018Thank you for the wonderful gift of color. Sometimes the things that seem most basic are the things that make the biggest impact and changes in someone's life. When you donated to Colors of the Rainbow Include Brown and Ebony you allowed all my students to draw, paint and color pictures of themselves and their families using the colors that they felt best depicted everyone. So often the skin tones of characters in the stories are predetermined by the colors in the pallet box of crayons. Before you generous gift of art supplies children had the option of coloring people white, brown or black now they are using colors like peach, apricot, tan, sepia, mahogany and ebony.
I was doing a lesson with 7 year old Amirah, who suffers with sickle cell disease. We were reading a book where the main character also had to be hospitalized with Sickle cell pain. I was encouraging Amirah to create her own book showing how she and her family are impacted by this terrible and painful disease. At first she said that she was hurting too much and just wanted to go back to her room. Once I pulled out all of the beautiful art supplies she quickly transformed into an author and illustrator extraordinaire. She was drawing everyone in her family in different shades of brown and blending colors while she talked about everyone in her family. She was still in a terrible amount of pain but she was distracted for a period. During that time the disease came second to the talent and wonder of who she was.
When children use crayons at the hospital they keep the boxes that they used and we do not share supplies in an effort to maintain good quality control and to not spread germs. As you can imagine we go through many crayons in school year. There is something very magical about receiving you own art supplies when in the hospital it says, "You're going to be fine, have fun and create". Every child who received the art supplies was happy and excited about their gift. The gift of Art is truly one of those special gifts that does not discriminate and shows no bias. Children of every age, race and religion seem to find peace in coloring and creating.
One precious moment for me was when one of the Hospital interns asked if she could have a box of crayons she said that she also enjoys coloring during her breaks and that she finds it very relaxing. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to share hope, dreams, relaxation and engagement in a box of crayons. So simple yet so powerful...... Equality starts with the power of one. You are the one who selected our project and started the change one child at a time. Thank you for sharing such wonderful feeling and for making a constant difference in the lives of children and doctors in the Hospital School program.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Conliffe
Chase Away the Blues With Comfort Books for Kids
Funded Jun 25, 2018Your generous donations made it possible to turn a clinical hospital setting into a warm and welcoming environment for children who are currently being treated in the hospital. It would not have been possible to set up this classroom lending library without your support. The students are eager to come to class and explore the various books and hands on materials.
I will be forever grateful for the generous donations you made. The books we received are being used every day for both instruction and as a lending library. The books are so beautiful and colorful that they have made the classroom a very engaging place. Due your kindness the classroom is the place where the kids want to be, everything is clean and new and this makes the children feel special. You reached out and took care of the needs of children, making their teacher very happy in the process. We are now family. Acts of kindness are so welcome these days. It takes a special type of person to pay it forward and give donations to education.
The supplies have been used with every child. Every student now gets to pick their own neon colored tote bag. Prior to your donation we would have to go back to the students rooms and pick up their books. These books have given the students an added sense of responsibility and ownership. We are able to color code and organize the work for the students now in a way that helps them gain a little more independence.
I have to mention that one of the most generous donors on the project was a student I had many years ago. This young man has made me so proud and honored to call myself a teacher. When I saw his name on the donors list I was shocked and overjoyed. I immediately became so filled with emotion I was brought to tears. He has become a caring adult who gives back to the neediest of children. He faced many challenges while attending school but has shown that if you have a good heart and a strong commitment to the larger community of mankind anything is possible.
Thank you all for making it possible to help children believe in their own power through success in reading. You believed that GOOD could come out of helping others and it has.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Conliffe
Sick Of Sickle Cell
Funded Mar 27, 2018All of my students are currently in the hospital as a result of illness or injury. They are attending school bedside while receiving medical care and various treatments. The students are often distracted from learning because of pain, medication, sadness and anger. The children in my class are from New York and the surrounding areas. We also accept and treat children from other states and from out of this county.
I am so excited and filled with the joy of knowing that you believe in the power of education and teachers. We will work every day to show our students that they are part of a community that empowers all students to live their best life by taking responsibility for their health, education and community. Your donation has also renewed the enthusiasm of three separate teachers in three different classes to work collaboratively creating curriculum that is child centered.
My students, four to twenty-one years of age, are currently hospitalized for a variety of childhood diseases and accidents. Many of my chronic repeat students are suffering from Sickle Cell disease. Sickle Cell is a very painful condition that causes the students to miss school often as a result to the significant levels of pain. Because you can't see sickle cell it is often misunderstood by many of the students teachers and classmates in their community based school. Sickle Cell is often a disease which predominately impacts the African American community. Many people are unaware and unconcerned with Sickle cell.
Your generous donation of Sickle Cell specific books where the main characters also suffer through pain episodes where a welcome addition to our pediatric library. The students are so happy to read the books. They always say that they never saw such a book and said that it makes them feel special. You have made such a powerful impact on kids who often feel marginalized and neglected in the choice of books they were being presented with.
Tanya did not want to talk to anyone nor was she willing to attend class because she was feeling so sad and she was in a great deal of pain. I asked if I could just read her a book while she rested in bed. After hearing the book she asked to come to the classroom and started to write her own book. Tanya hopes to share her story with her teachers and classmates so that they can better understand what she is going through every day.
The Ripple donation to Donors Choose was an incredible act of kindness which has not only made a positive impact on the children but has charged up all of the teachers to work a little harder spreading the work of Random Acts of Kindness and embracing The Power of One. Kindness can not be quantified but indeed the Ripple Effect continues. Much love and gratitude.
.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Conliffe
This classroom project was brought to life by Ripple.Stop, Stop Sugar On Top!!
Funded Mar 27, 2018Your generous donation of books and school supplies made it possible to start and enhance a program geared at teaching hospitalized children about healthy eating and self-care when diagnosed with Diabetes. At one hospital site a vegetable garden has been started and children are planting, receiving gardening instruction and getting their hands dirty while having fun and learning about the science of plants. The books you provided allow children to connect to the main character in ways that they never would have before. It's so exciting when a child is able to find comfort and relief in a book where the main character is going through the same experiences and fears as they are. When the end of the book is so optimistic it makes the students assured that they too will have a happy outcome with their medical situation.
Children are being diagnosed with diabetes at an alarming rate. I am using the books and art supplies as tools to teach children diagnosed with diabetes to live safe, healthy lives in school. The math games you donated make it possible for children to be taught basic math to help them monitor their insulin numbers. Health and nutrition are being taught through planting seeds and using art supplies to create pictures of healthy food choices. Children are creating their own books personalized with their own medical diagnosis.
Diabetes is a disease that can be managed with education, nutritional awareness, exercise and loving support. The grade appropriate books on diabetes, art supplies, and hands-on interactive learning activities are allowing our students to properly learn about healthy eating and self-care. We need to discharge students safe for school and thanks to your generous donation that is exactly what we are doing.
I am so excited and filled with the joy of knowing that you believe in the power of education and teachers. We will work every day to show our students that they are part of a community that empowers all students to live their best life by taking responsibility for their health, education and community. Your donation has also renewed the enthusiasm of three separate teachers in three different classes to work collaboratively creating curriculum that is child centered. With your donation you planted a new seed in the teachers. We are actively meeting with one another and learning new skills and strategies to make the learning environment in the hospital something that every child looks forward to.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Conliffe
This classroom project was brought to life by Ripple and 6 other donors.Seven Silly Smelly Snakes Say SSS
Funded Dec 16, 2016Thank you for your generous donation. You have made school a very cool place to be. I love watching the students smelling their test papers after they put scented stickers on homework and class assignments. No matter the age or gender smelly stickers seem to put a smile on every face. Many of my students have Aphasia a communication disorder that results from damage to the parts of the brain that contain language. Some have additional difficulties beyond speech and language issues. Aphasia may cause difficulties in speaking, listening, reading, and writing. My students may also have disease or damage to the parts of the brain that control language. Brain tumors, traumatic brain injury, and progressive neurological disorders are very challenging for young children and their families. Making school fun and engaging allows learning while getting a brief respite from their pain and worries of hospitalization.
The Hot Dots and Bear counters were a big hit at the hospital; the kids loved the sensory in –put while learning. The Steno Pads were great when working on writing. Students were able to navigate the pages and write regardless of having lost hand strength or if a child was left or right handed. Traditional note books are difficult for left- handed students even when not fighting to regain independence. Your gift of school supplies made the students feel important and valued as learners. You cared enough to donate educational supplies so that all of my students could work with new thoughtful and engaging materials.
Your willingness to help students through a difficult time tells me a lot about you. You are a true inspiration. Your donation makes me very aware of the importance of paying it forward. I am using these supplies every day to make my classroom worry free for all kids. I want my students to be happy and develop strong positive emotional connections with education. You have ensured that a true sensory approach is being used.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Conliffe
Adapting Teaching Strategies to Meet the Needs of Special Students
Funded Oct 6, 2016I met you at the crossroads of where need meets Love. Your generous donation has made me more aware of the power of people in creating the type of world I want to live in. I go to work every day excited to be part of a team who believe that it's our responsibility to put each child first. I am proud to say I love my job. Teaching and working with children who are hospitalized is a gift. As rewarding as I find my career it is also at times quite frustrating as a result of the lack of appropriate supplies needed to best serve the varied specific needs of my students. Your generous donation of and Ipad Pro with touch screen and a keyboard has made it possible for me to bring class work right to the bedside of everyone of my students. I have been able to download a series of interactive communication apps for students who are unable to speak but have things they want to say. I have added applications for children ages 4-21 years of age so that there is an academic menu capable of assisting independent and guided tutorial.
One student I'll call her Rose Evergreen was always very resist in to both reading and writing instruction. When we started using the Ipad she wrote and story about a young girl who asked the question, do plants have feeling and can they communicate? By the end of her story she decided that the main character would become an author of children's books so she could write about the wonders of plants. She wrote her first book and her pen name was Rose Evergreen. We talk about future books where she might be known as Lilly Annual, Petunia Marigold and Fern Oaks. This wonderful girl frequents the hospital often for the treatment of treat Cystic fibrosis. Another very special student recently had a right hemispherectomy he had lost his ability to speak and was unable to use left side of his body and the right side was extremely week. I was able to download the introductory ProLoque2go application which allows the child to answer and ask questions by lightly touching the pictures on the screen with a very faint one finger touch. If you could have seen how happy he was you would have been crying. It brought me to tears because I could see how your gift of technology has the ability to change lives by teaching from the heart.
In addition to using the Ipad for student instruction I have also been using it to complete online course work and research to help me better serve the children I am working with. My students have specific health and orthopedic issues which often make learning difficult. As a result of using the technology you so generously donated I realized that I would like to learn more about assistive technology and adaptive devices. Thanks to you and your belief in me I have been reignited and very much wish to learn as much as I possibly can about assistive technology and its applications with children and adults in need. You have once again turned me into a lifelong learner with a thirst and quest for learning to better my skills to come up with the questions that have not yet been asked.
When I look back at the list of people who made this project possible I see friends, people trying to remember loved ones who have passed with a special dedication, Donors choose staff, supporters, people from near, far, familiar and new. Of course my number one supporter my mother is always there for me. We are the same, we are one, we are hope, and we are the power of positive intention. We are Love! Thank you.
I will love to be able to continue to update the accessories, assistive applications and continue with advanced workshops and education. Please ask your friends to make a small donation to my teacher page so that it can be applied to future needs. I promise to always "Pay it Forward."”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Conliffe
Learning to Love an Author
Funded Aug 9, 2016I just had the most amazing three months of teaching thanks to your very generous donation of books and science supplies. The students in my hospital class love coming to class and reading these wonderful new books. The Patricia Polacco books are warm and heart felt teaching cultural sensitivity and lessons of love, family, community and tradition. Thank you Mr falker is the book that has been requested most often. It is a sensitively crafted story where the main character Trisha struggles in schools with a reading delay and begins to do anything to avoid going to class. Once she meets Mr. Falker her 5th grade teacher life changes and the world opens up becoming a magical place where learning to read was possible. One day I was brought to tears when a student told me I was like Mr. Falker. The Roald Dahl books introduce the students to fantasy and make believe in ways that appeal to children who need a fun, engaging escape from their day to day. These fantastic stories have changed the way my students are able to cope with their hospital stay and cope with the daily physical and emotional pain of acute rehabilitation. They have become so excited about coming to class. I owe you a tremendous amount of gratitude. New books properly matched with the right students have the power to transport a child to a place where it doesn't hurt a place where you are understood and belong. The power of these books cannot be explained simply from an academic grade standard. They turned kids who did not like school into students who now love to read and can't get enough time reading. I have enjoyed coming into work every day just to see what the reading group will discuss and just to see how excited the kids are. Some of the other students have started reading The Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Captain Underpants, science books and more. I honestly am having a hard time keeping the classroom library stocked. Your donation also allowed us to get a microscope and a crystal growing kit. Wow, what kid doesn't love science? Once you use a microscope life can never go back to be the same. In many ways the use of the microscope has helped the patients/students ask more questions about their own medical conditions. I overheard on student telling a friend during microscope time that he was going to be a doctor.
Thanksgiving is less than a week away. I am very thankful for you and all you have done for my students. Working with children that are hospitalized for catastrophic illness and injury can at times be sad and joyful at the same time. I am so happy to have you in my corner showing care and commitment to my students through your very generous support. Thank you. Happy Thanksgiving.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Conliffe
Setting Up for Success and New Beginnings
Funded Jul 26, 2016I am so Thankful for your generous donation of supplies to help get the school year off to a great start. The students I work with are so happy to come to class with their new folders, school bags, pens and pencils. It is very difficult to be in the hospital for an extended period of time. As a hospital teacher it is important to keep their spirits up and encourage them to work to the best of their ability. Your donation of colorful supplies makes the children feel like they are starting a brand new experience filled with fun. As a teacher these supplies are so helpful in keeping the student work organized. The neon school bags easily hook on the back of the wheelchairs when work is completed. It is so exciting to have you as project partner caring for children in their greatest hour of need. It means so much to hospitalized students to see their teacher organized and ready to teach as if they were back at their home school. Holding them close to their rigorous routines gives the children a sense of stability in a very uncertain period. Your generous donation will make an impact on my students greater than you could ever imagine. Thank you for supporting my students and believing in me. Your constant support of teachers, families and children makes me want to work harder every day. I am inspired by your willingness to pay it forward. You are the Love we want to see in this world. Thank You”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Conliffe
Back to Basics
Funded Jul 22, 2016Dear Friends of The Heart Oct 1,2016
Alcoa Foundation Fully funded this project and made Hospital School summer school a huge success. It is hard enough going to school in the summer but doing it while hospitalized and sick is more than most children can handle. Thanks to Alcoa we had a wonderful summer filled with smiles, laughs and a great deal of progress.
When the new box of colorful supplies arrived and I explained that they were given by people who cared about them and wanted to see them do well in school. They couldn't understand why anyone would give school supplies. Once they began using the Hot dots, globe, calculator and abacus their attitudes toward learning quickly changed. I think they actually enjoyed coming to class each day. I reminded them often that it was because of you that we had such wonderful supplies. I asked them to all do something kind or special for someone else as a way of saying thank you to you. It was very emotional and heartwarming to watch how kind the children started speaking to one another and the staff. You stated a goodness group in our hospital by setting such a wonderful example.
Most of my students are currently non ambulatory as a result of illness or injury. They are attending school in an acute rehabilitation hospital. The students are often distracted from learning because of pain, medication, sadness and anger. After receiving the beautiful supplies from the generous donation from the Alcoa Foundation you can see there is nothing but smiles. The Globe was a wonderful addition to our classroom. No matter what the grade, students wanted to use the Hot Dots every minute they could get. Jack made tremendous progress in math using the protractor to measure angles and regained skills necessary for entering the 6th grade. It was wonderful seeing how happy the students were to attend summer school.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Conliffe
STEM Stimulates Science Minds - Robotics Rule
Funded Mar 9, 2016Dear Perry & Donna Golkin
I want to start off by sharing a few short notes from my students:
To Donors Choose,
Thank you for the K'Nex Physics sets. So far, we have constructed a roller coaster. Our class has studied the physics of motion in preparation for the TASC high school equivalency exam. The K'Nex sets model the laws of motion. We are also using velocity measuring devices with a graphing calculator to generate data. It is fun to calculate functions that describe how a car moves on the track. What seems like a toy is really a tool. We appreciate your support of our learning.
Sincerely,
MD
Dear Donors Choose,
I am eternally grateful for the science sets, especially the K'Nex Roller Coaster Physics set. You have me and my friends appreciating your thoughtfulness in buying this gift. We currently are constructing a set showing the wonders of physics education. I hope to use this set to better understand the rules of physics, and learn more that I haven't yet explored. I sincerely hope that you will donate more gifts to help us learn more in the future. Thanks again for the thoughtful gift.
All the best,
Nasir
To Donors Choose,
It was wonderful of you to donate the K'Nex roller coaster. Building this rollercoaster was very therapeutic, and also fun! When we first began building the K'Nex it was pretty intimidating; we didn't think we would be able to complete the project. As we continued building I learned how to work with a partner and use critical thinking skills. The project was great and gave us something to look forward to. The project gave me the opportunity to commit and complete something and at the end I felt proud and accomplished. This project was a huge boost to my self-esteem. I couldn't wait to tell my parents that I created something and for that I couldn't be happier.
Thanks again for the wonderful gift, we truly appreciate it.
All the best –Ricky ♥
As you can see from the few notes I've included your generous donation has changed lives in the way our children view learning. The construction K'Nex kits are so effective in delivering an integrated hands on Science and math lesson that I am going to incorporate it as a permanent part of our curriculum. I shared supplies with a fellow teacher and he was equally impressed with the impact these teaching tools had. Your donation did not just help the students it helped us to become better teachers by exploring, studying and discovering more ways to make learning fun for the children we teach.
It was a powerfully moving experience when I saw that you had funded my project. You made my dreams a reality. I always think big when it comes to making significant impact of the lives of the neediest children. I have the heart, the skill and the ability to deliver magic when it comes to instruction. I love my job and want to continue with the same level of enthusiasm I began with 26 years ago. Your gift makes me feel like a first year teacher, excited and full of hope! I love that my students are so happy right now and I thank you for that. Thank you for touching my heart.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Conliffe