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Back Pack Club is made up of a group of student volunteers from
Riverhead High School, who, working with their advisor, Mrs. Louise
Wilkinson, meet once a week in the late afternoon with children
(ages 6-14) staying in emergency shelters. Members of the Back
Pack Club help the children with their homework, lead activities
and have dinner with them.
The program is funded by grants from
LI Cares, Kids Café and the United Way. The agencies involved
are the Peconic Housing Initiative, Madonna Heights and Peconic
Community Council.
Recently the students in this club
were given a commendation by the Riverhead School District's Board
of Education for their dedication to these young students.
Mrs. Wilkinson reported to the Board,
"The children staying in transitional housing are often very
needy and not with us very long. It is a good feeling for all
of us to know when they move on, it is probably because the families
have found homes. Mandates from the state have required schools
to support the transportation of these children to and from their
home district if requested, so we have met children from all over
the county."
According to Mrs. Wilkinson, "From
the beginning of the program of April, 2002, until Labor Day,
the RHS students in the Back Pack Club accumulated over 200 hours
of community service and they are still going strong."
Mrs. Wilkinson related the story
of one child's response to a cancellation of the program on the
first day of school, he told her that he didn't think he "could
go a whole week" without seeing the group. "I have nothing
else to do, he cried."
Groups like the Back Pack Club pay tribute to the amazing generosity
of time and spirit of high school students in the community. As
the holiday season arrives, this generosity of spirit will be
played out over and over by the students of Riverhead High School
as they adopt children in the community through programs like
the Angel Tree.
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