"Wish For Change" in Summer Camps

For most people, the summer is a time of sun and relaxation. The work of Miss Staten Island, however, never ends! This summer, I decided to visit all 4 United Activities Unlimited (UAU) Camps on the island. Just as I did in the schools during the year, I went into the camps and explained about Make-A-Wish and the "Wish For Change" Fundraiser. The four camps included: St. John's Lutheran, Staten Island Technical High School, PS 53, & PS 55/56.

All of the campers were very excited to begin their fundraising and I was eager to see who would come out victorious. It was up to the camp directors to decide how they wanted to split up the teams, but overall it seemed that the girls raised the most! Congratulations to the winning groups:

St. John's Lutheran: Girls ages 8-9

Staten Island Tech: Girls

PS 53: Girls

PS 55/56: 3rd grade

The winning groups received a special (& delicious) prize from me!

Since it was summer, I wasn't sure how well the program would work. I'm glad I gave it a try, though, because all of the campers did an awesome job! They created their own mini fundraisers (like bake sales and car washes) and raised a lot of money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation! We came out with a grand total of:

$1,624.33

All of this money has been sent directly to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Metro New York and Western New York. I realized the other day that this brings my personal total for the year to over $18,000 donated. I am incredibly excited and proud!

One camp, though, went above and beyond, raising nearly 71% of the entire total for all UAU Camps!

Congratulations to PS 55/56 UAU Camp which raised $1,150.33!

Under the direction of Kieran Burns, this camp showed the true spirit of volunteering. On August 10th, I joined the 3rd grade campers at PS 55/56 for a pizza party to reward them for all of their hard work. After a delicious meal, we gathered the entire camp in the gym, where I commended them for their time and efforts, answered more questions, and rewarded a few of the kids for really displaying what volunteering is all about. Campers Anthony Arnone, Samantha Arnone, Gianna Badamo, Richard Badamo, and Omar Elmogazy all held their own fundraisers and contributed to their outstanding $1,150 total. Congratulations to all of you at PS 55/56 Camp! You are amazing!

Want to see more pictures? Check out this album on my Miss Staten Island Public Figure FB Page!

A special thanks goes out to Executive Director Joe Menella and Camp Directors Kieran Burns, Brianne Previti, Meghan Donoghue and Mike Riccardelli for all their help.  Way to go Staten Island!