This year the National Honor Society for Dance Arts (NHSDA), under the leadership of Caroline Brackett, Dance Educator/Chapter Sponsor West Genesee High School, participated in “Dance A Difference Week” from March 1-7.
This was a week of dance-based community service spread throughout the nation and was sponsored by the National Dance Education Organization. The students from West Genesee created “Comfort Cases: Inspiring Communities to Bring Dignity and Hope to Youth in Foster Care” for their community outreach project.
During the month of February items such as backpacks, travel sized: shampoo, conditioner, toothbrush, toothpaste, soap/body wash, deodorant, pajamas, soft blanket, stuffed animal, coloring book/crayons, book, and journal/pens were collected. The entire community at West Genesee was involved and through their generosity enough items to fill 55 bags was collected.
Comfort Cases is a national organization which helps children in foster care throughout the United States. They used their template to inform the work here. The students were all surprised and grateful for the number of donations and the resulting number of Comfort Cases they were able to put together. Special thanks go out to the community of the West Genesee School District without whose generosity this project would never have happened.
Many thanks to the DFCS and Erin Gessini for allowing us to donate these cases to the children and youth in foster care in Onondaga County and for educating the students on how the DCFS operates.
The students involved in the NHSDA would like to keep this project as an annual outreach activity to highlight their commitment to helping our community and being involved with children and youth in need.
Below are more photographs of the students putting together and delivering the Comfort Cases. Please feel free to contact Caroline with any questions and more information about this project at cbrackett@westgensee.org or 315-487-4612.
