May 9th, 2007 marked the second consecutive year of Partnership with Children’s collaboration with McGraw-Hill on their Global Volunteer Day.  Twenty-six employees of McGraw-Hill’s Grow Network traveled from their midtown offices to PS 304 in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn to participate in a library revitalization and beautification project.  Many of the same corporate volunteers who participated in the Garden Day at PS 111 in Long Island City, Queens in May 2006 returned for their second opportunity to enhance a school served by Partnership with Children.

Each volunteer was paired up one-on-one with a member of Partnership with Children’s small groups, providing an all important mentoring element to the school community enriching project.  Students and volunteers took part in an icebreaker to get to know each other, paving the way for conversation before sitting down for lunch.  Before long, Partnership with Children’s room was glowing with smiles from ear to ear, with only the height of the volunteers distinguishing them from the students whose childlike excitement contagiously passed from youth to mentor.  Concurrently, the volunteers’ self-esteem radiated to each child until all twenty-six pairs were poised with the confidence to create real change in the school.

Due to budget concerns, operating without a librarian, PS 304’s library had evolved into a glorified storage space for books and supplies.  Gone were the days of students coming in to sit and read and teachers researching for class projects.  The shelves were painted with dusted skylines, evidence of books frozen in time.  Categorical sections were unclearly defined, making the process of finding a specific book all the more difficult.  Energy and life were absent from a space with so much potential. 

The volunteers and their buddies undertook the revitalization project and divided into two groups, half focusing on the organization of books and shelves and half painting banners to clearly define each section.  In only a couple hours, damaged and outdated books were removed and all the books were in their proper sections, sitting on clean shelves.  Banners were painted for each category, displaying a combined creativity and skill of student and mentor.  And plants were hung from the ceiling, presenting a symbol that life had been restored.  The project will prove beneficial to the school, not only in restoring the library space, but also in reinstating a genuine interest in books, reading and literacy amongst the student body.

Partnership with Children is extremely thankful to McGraw-Hill for their generous donation of funding for the project as well as the time that the twenty-six employees gave to the children at PS 304.  Their afternoon’s efforts leave an impact that will last for many years to come.

Click here to see pictures from last month's event!