a brilliant idea

from king phillip middle school in west hartford. i have always felt it important to stress to children they MUST help others who may not be as fortunate as themselves. even if one isn't wealthy, someone else is always a bit worse off. you don't even have to spend money to help. you can volunteer your time or your services to help out. sit with the elderly at a nursing home (adopt a grandparent type of thing). help out at a local animal shelter. make cards for deployed service people (i asked several people at work to do this and most of them involved their children). when a child gets this instilled in them at an early age, well, how can they go wrong at a later age? (don't answer that, but chances are they WON'T)

Educators View Charitable Ventures As Part Of Each Student's Education

Principal Guides Children In Organization Of Drives, Fundraisers

By CAROLYN MOREAU
Courant Staff Writer

December 26 2005

WEST HARTFORD -- After learning in her sixth-grade science class how homeless dogs are sometimes euthanized, Rachel Cudo, 11, wanted to start a campaign to raise money for the unfortunate canines.

Her friend, Myra Daoud, 11, had a different idea. With the holiday season approaching, why not hold a toy drive to provide presents for children whose families would not otherwise be able to afford them, Myra suggested.

Thus another community service project was born at King Philip Middle School, the kind with which parents of school-age children are familiar.

But the projects aren't just about helping others. The collection drives and fundraisers are viewed by school officials as part of each child's education that can be tailor-made to fit their specific needs. Some of the stories behind the projects are deeply personal.

Earlier this year, Charli Brooks, an eighth-grader at King Philip, felt powerless as she watched her younger brother Cameron, a third-grader at Aiken elementary school, battle an inoperable brain tumor.

With help from her friends and support from King Philip, Charli sold magnetic ribbons and bracelets and raised $200 for the Cameron Brooks Foundation. A note on the family's website posted Dec. 22 asks readers to pray. "You can see the changes happening, and there is really nothing we can do," wrote mother Carla Brooks........