Chester Kids Give More to Sandy-Stricken Shore

Back in November, in the dark days immediately following Hurricane Sandy, New Jersey Strong helped organize Operation Shoebox, where students Mary Diviney's kindergarten class at Chester's Dickerson School gave decorated boxes of toys to their counterparts in the Stafford School District Primary Learning Center. Last month, they utilized this connection again to send students off into thesummer on a positive note.

Students and parents at the Chester Dickerson school collected over 500 books to donate to students and classrooms at the Primary Learning Center in Stafford, NJ. The Primary Learning Center had over 15 students and their families displaced because of Hurricane Sandy in October 2012. Each student received a letter and a books to take home for the summer.Additional students from All Saints Regional School in Manahawkin, NJ also received books and letters.

"We're growing really quickly and doing a lot of physical work to rebuild but it's personal projects like this that give New Jersey Strong character," Co-founder and CEO Lindsay Donald said.

"We are grateful for the opportunity to be a part of both supporting some of the youngest victims of the hurricane and helping to foster a sense of community for these kids early on."

A key part of Operation Shoebox was Kristen Turner, who has a child in Diviney's class. Donald was one of Turner's former students at Morris Hills  along with her brother Stephen formed NJ Strong in the aftermath of Sandy.

“The Shoebox and Summer Reading projects helped my children to understand
their own experience - and to know that they have love and compassion for others,” Turner said.

“The Shoebox and Summer Reading projects are perfect examples of how schools and communities can work together.”

New Jersey Strong is currently pursuing a number of rebuilding projects forhomes at the Jersey shore.  They are continually looking for volunteers to help with all types of projects. Visit http://www.njstrong.net for more information and opportunities to get involved.

Strong is a nonprofit organization committed to bringing direct reliefand swift recovery to residents of  the state of New Jersey in times of extreme hardship and natural disaster. NJ Strong focuses on a personal, hands-on approach to disaster management by coordinating volunteer  efforts, collecting and distributing supplies, cleaning up, rebuilding homes, rejuvenating families, and restoring hope to individuals.