Arlington Teachers' Association
The Arlington TA teamed with the Poughquag/Pawling United Methodist Church in April to rebuild the home of an 86-year-old Hyde Park widower. ATA members (and spouses) included Scott Adams, Betsy and Mark Denis, Doug Dickenson, Jonathan Nix, Stepan Kubicek, Khalie Wood-Aker, Paul Sevigny and Judy McGuire. The ATA is led by President Bob Maier.
The rebuild was part of a larger effort under the Rebuilding Together banner, an organization with chapters throughout the country. The program depends on volunteers to provide free home repairs and modifications to low-income Americans. This year, more than 150 volunteers completed seven projects across Dutchess County.
Coxsackie-Athens Teachers' Association
The Coxsackie-Athens TA has blended pie-making and passion for its community into a recipe of outreach. The TA teams with Hope's Mission, an organization which strives to feed the school community's hungry children.
"Over the past four years, our middle and high school students and their teachers have volunteered to make pies for Hope's Mission's annual Thanksgiving Dinner," said Tracy Watson, co-president with Benjamin Richards of this small and rural Greene County local. Students and TA member volunteers prep or serve dinners, while others make place mats and table centerpieces. "We look forward to serving our community members in this special way."
Southampton Teachers Association
For the past two years, every mother who gives birth in Southampton Hospital has been given the gift of first pages, thanks to the Southampton TA. Each new mom receives a zippered canvas bag with two books — one for baby, and one for the parents; a pass to the East End Children's Museum; a list of local libraries and their story time hours; and an STA bookmark.
The project is coordinated by science teacher Diane Guida and special education teacher Maureen Flanagan. "Books for Babies" began based on input from colleagues in the 250-member local union, and in partnership with the Southampton Hospital Foundation; Book Hampton, a local bookstore; the children's museum and the Andrew Sabin Foundation. The books, in Spanish and English, are 10 Little Fingers, 10 Little Toes, by Mem Fox, and the classic, What to Expect the First Year.
Three or four times a year, STA members visit the hospital foundation to assemble the bags, said Guida. Sometimes students join the teachers.
There are about 800 births a year at the hospital.
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