The Alfred E. Zampella National Junior Honor Society holds an annual coin drive. We decided to raise money and spread awareness for all of those with CHARGE syndrome. Our inspiration was Kyle Dabydeen, the son of our beloved Librarian, Mrs. Cynthia Dabydeen. Kyle is an incredibly smart and handsome boy diagnosed with CHARGE Syndrome. He was born profoundly deaf, has vestibular issues, and also has a hole in his heart. However, we have learned that with the proper support, CHARGE children can overcome insurmountable obstacles. Kyle and his loving family captivated our hearts and so began our Change for CHARGE Fundraiser.
Our goal was to collect $5,000 in 4 weeks to donate to the CHARGE Foundation, a non-profit charitable organization that provides information and support to thousands of families and professionals locally, nationally, and internationally through outreach, education and research. We are thrilled to announce that our school collected a total of $ $8,266 for the CHARGE Foundation in just 4 weeks!!!!! That’s more than $3,000 over our goal! There were so many stories of students donating large sums of their own money, collecting donations from their family and friends, and teachers matching their class’s totals. Halfway through our coin drive our story was shared on CBS news. Shortly after, we received donations from people near and far.
