Linda Kohan is always thinking about the well-being of others. The Southdown Primary School social worker cares about the students she works with and the community they live in.
Mrs. Kohan recently spearheaded an initiative that combined an effort to help feed the hungry with just plain fun. Students were able to experience the satisfaction one feels from doing a good deed and have a few laughs as the project wrapped up.
More than 700 boxes of cereal filled the Helping Hand Rescue Mission's van.
“I saw this idea on Facebook and thought it would be great to do; I added the part about giving the cereal boxes to the Helping Hand Rescue Mission in Huntington Station,” Mrs. Kohan said. “I enlisted help from Southdown kindergarten teacher Christine DePetris. She is awesome! It not only was a fun event, but it taught the students about giving to others that are not as fortunate.”
The faculty members got Southdown Principal Scott Oshrin on board and then set a goal of collecting 600 boxes of cereal across the entire school. “If we made it, the whole school would have a pizza party,” Mrs. Kohan said.
The school blew past the original goal. When the final count was complete, Southdown had donated 704 boxes of cereal. “Jonny D’s was nice enough to just charge us just the cost of making the pizzas,” Mrs. Kohan said. “The PTA assisted with the cost of the pizza and the faculty and staff donated the rest of the money.”
Even pre-schoolers in the building were included in the initiative. As the boxes piled up, students got more excited by the day.
The project’s grand finale was lots of fun. Let’s call it cereal dominos. “We strategically placed the cereal boxes so that they stretched around the entire school, including the steps, where we did a double line,” Mrs. Kohan said. “Every student was in the hallway and placed so that they were at least three feet apart.”
As the boxes began to fall in a beautifully sequenced order, students signaled their enthusiastic approval. The boxes dropped with perfect precision.
Rev. Kim Gambino from Helping Hand Rescue Mission came to the cereal dominos event with her son. “With the help of Southdown staff they loaded their truck with all 704 cereal boxes that will help feed the families in the Huntington UFSD community,” Mrs. Kohan.
To watch the incredible video of the event, click on this link:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/17c0bEnmXXWhBmh0SJtI3cVi73GSpdwfa/view