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Monday, November 21, 2016

Teddy Bears for Refugee Children

As a class, we read a Scholastic Action magazine article about a young Syrian refugee named Dania. She was forced to leave her country due to a civil war that broke out in 2011 and continues today. We learned that she enjoys playing soccer, reading, and playing video games, just like many of us. After some time away from school, Dania was finally able to start school again in Akkar (in Lebanon) and quickly caught up. She aspires to become a doctor someday and would like to service poor people for free. 


In doing outside research, we learned that there are 65 million refugees worldwide (half are children), and 5 million are Syrian refugees. Recently, the United States has pledged to resettle 10,000 Syrian refugees in our country. We also learned that there is an IRC (International Rescue Committee) in Elizabeth, NJ, that is currently resettling families in our area. 





Di' Jon, a student in our class, wrote, "They are Simply Human, like any of us. Just because they don't live in a proper home and go to the same school as us doesn't make them any less of a human being. They still can feel love, anger, hate, remorse, and or compassion, and all the other feeling a normal human (Person) would feel. I just think (people) down grade refugees as a lost cause, because they have no way of actually relating them to themselves so they lean towards more of a relation towards and animal and not a person."   
We would like to do something to help these families in desperate need. We are going to work with Knitting Without Borders, an organization that knits teddy bears for children who are suffering due to illness, war, or any other cause. We plan to deliver these teddy bears personally to the IRC, along with coats and household goods (listed on the flyer below). 

 If you would like to donate, please let us know, or drop off items to room 370. Our tentative deadline for collecting items is the first week in January. 

 Thank you for your support! 

We will update you soon on the details of our project.

*We apologize for technical formatting issues with this blog post.














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8 comments:

  1. AnonymousNovember 21, 2016 at 10:38 AM

    What an awesome idea. I look forward to watching your progress, good luck with this project.

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    Replies
    1. Mrs. Boccia's English Class November 22, 2016 at 4:54 AM

      Thanks for your support, Dr. Keenan!

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    2. UnknownNovember 22, 2016 at 5:20 AM

      Hi Room 370,

      It is very interesting you are learning about Syrian refugees that coincides with what is actually happening in the world today. Your learning about refugees has merged into a community service project. You never cease to amaze me. I am looking forward to your next blog post.

      Have a Happy Thanksgiving! Gobble Gobble.

      Mrs. Basta

      Delete
  2. KinsleyNovember 21, 2016 at 12:32 PM

    Hello Students of Room 370:

    Thanks for sharing your blog with me. I was impressed. It looks as if you learned a lot about Syrian refugees and have taken all you learned as a way to help others. I didn't realize there was an organization so close to us (Elizabeth) here in Millburn devoted to helping refugees. I agree with Di'Jon that it is important to remember refugees are human like all of us! I look forward to assisting by donating some of the household items.

    Thanks for all your efforts.

    Mr. Arlington
    Assistant Superintendent

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    Replies
    1. Mrs. Boccia's English Class November 22, 2016 at 4:59 AM

      Hello Mr. Arlington,

      Thank you for reading and commenting on our blog. We are excited to have a comment from a new blog follower! We are thrilled that you are willing to donate to help this cause. In case you want to bring the items personally and visit our class, it is during 1st period in room 370. We would love to have you!

      Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

      Room 370

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  3. KinsleyNovember 21, 2016 at 12:36 PM

    Thanks for sending me your blog. It looks like you learned a lot about Syrian refugees. I agree with Di'Jon that it is important to remember that "refugees are simply human like any of us." I look forward to hearing how your efforts shape up.

    Mr. Arlington
    Assistant Superintendent

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  4. Miss BrandtNovember 22, 2016 at 12:00 AM

    This is a great cause! I'd be happy to help you all with your efforts. I'll start looking for items around my home.

    Miss Brandt

    ReplyDelete
  5. Dr. MironNovember 29, 2016 at 10:02 AM

    I hope Knitting Without Borders goes well. It is an exciting mission. I am looking forward to hearing the details of your project!

    ReplyDelete

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