Gilroy
– A trip to San Jose this week taught students at Luigi Aprea
Elementary not only how to give, but also what it’s like to be a
little different.
Gilroy – A trip to San Jose this week taught students at Luigi Aprea Elementary not only how to give, but also what it’s like to be a little different.
A group of 31 fourth-graders and 10 special needs students from the Gilroy school hand-delivered a check for $1,500 to the Silicon Valley Independent Living Center in San Jose. The students raised the money themselves by selling various items and holiday gift ideas.
The center, which also has a smaller branch in Gilroy, is a nonprofit corporation that provides services and training for people with disabilities.
During their visit, the students got to know the center’s staff over a lunch of hot dogs, macaroni and cheese and chocolate chip cookies. But this wasn’t any ordinary lunch. While dressing their hot dogs and eating their meals, the students – and their teachers – each tied a ribbon around the wrists of their dominant hands as a reminder not to use that hand to eat. The idea was to give the students a sense of what it’s like to live with a disability.
“It helps the kids realize that people with disabilities can do things for themselves and be quite independent, but it may mean doing things differently than other people,” said Sheri Burns, the center’s deputy executive director.
Fund raising and donating is nothing new for Luigi Aprea fourth-grade teacher Kathleen Hendren. She has organized similar fund raisers for her students over the past few years and donated the money to various charities.
Her class raised money for the Red Cross in 2001 – right after 9/11 – and again last year, but for some reason neither of the checks were cashed.
So this year, instead of simply sending the check, Hendren said she wanted her students to actually see how their hard-earned money was being used.
“We wanted to keep it more local and see exactly where that money is going and meet some of the people who will be benefited,” she said.
The donation will go toward an advocacy fund, Burns said, which will provide emergency services and assistance to low-income people with disabilities.
The students talked with the center’s staff, some of whom have disabilities, about some of the truths and misconceptions surrounding people who have disabilities.
“We talked about how being teased or being categorized in school, such as being called ‘four eyes’ or being known for that, is very hurtful,” Burns said.
David Christian, Luigi Aprea’s special education teacher, said his students chose the field trip partly to tour the center, which they could use as a resource.
Before the big day, the students said they were looking forward to their visit and bestowing their gift.
“It’s good because you’re giving people something and not being greedy,” said fourth-grader Taylor Corbitt, 9. “And we actually know who we’re giving it to and why.”
