Asbury Park students send supplies to Tanzania
Books, retired school bus donated to African country
A group of Asbury Park High School students helped load school-district books to be sent to Tanzania through the Footprints to Education Program and the WAMA Foundation earlier this month.
The students are part of the high school’s Workforce Investment Board Program, and are being supervised by Charmaine Handler, structured learning experience coordinator, and Walter Sossa, custodial manager.
This project, which begun about a year ago, is intended to help a community in Tanzania with the donation of a retired school bus and books donated and approved by the Asbury Park Board of Education, along with NJ Natural Gas, Monmouth University, A&J Sneakers, Standard Supply, Garret Giberson, and Pat Fasano, who also were involved with either the process or the donated items to add to the container.
A total of 270 boxes filled with books and other materials and 100 pairs of sneakers will make their way with the bus into a community in need.
During the Spring of 2012, a group of middle school students started a pen pal program through the Footprints to Education Program, with students from Tanzania. During the launch of the program, representatives from Tanzania’s First Lady Kikwete attended the Middle School for a full presentation of the program and the collaboration between the school district’s students and students in Tanzania.
John M. McLaughlin, Founder of the Footprints to Education Program and Asbury Park High School Alumni, said of the event, “I am extremely grateful to the Asbury Park Board of Education and [superintendent] Dr. Denise Lowe’s continued support in my Footprints to Education Program and now that the bus and books are on their way we can concentrate on creating the cultural and educational exchange programs between Asbury Park and Tanzanian students which is the backbone of the program.”
Lowe thanks the Board of Education for supporting this initiative “and for their patience with this matter, as we know that the navigation through foreign customs and cultures can be a challenge,” she said. “I am extremely excited of the next steps and how this is going to positively impact the lives of so many, not just in Tanzania but also here in Asbury Park. Our students will be exposed to a terrific opportunity to broaden their minds and dive in to another culture.”
This project is being led by one of the district’s teachers, Kevin Williams, Lowe said. His ideas regarding how to explore other cultures using technologically advanced tools will allow the students to fully connect with their Tanzanian counterparts, Lowe said.
“This is really a win-win opportunity for all involved, and we are very excited to be a part of it,” she said. “The community pulled together and helped launch this program, everyone should be proud. Asbury Park may be a community in need, but we need to make sure that our students learn to give back, to learn about other cultures, to embrace them, and to appreciate what they do have. I have no doubt that this program will allow them that opportunity.”
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