As New York City moves into its third week of recovery after Hurricane Sandy, Teachers College, both as an institution and through the individual efforts of many of its community members, is actively engaged in providing help on many levels.

“We are aware that many of our community members were affected either directly or indirectly, whether personally or through the impact on family and friends who were hard hit.  We are grateful for those who suffered relatively little damage.  However, we know that the stresses and strains of Sandy are ongoing and far-reaching,” says Janice Robinson, Vice President.

To help centralize the many TC-related efforts and make it easier for everyone to get involved, the Vice President’s Office for Diversity and Community Affairs (ODCA) created an umbrella initiative called TC Cares.  It was activated for both the Haitian earthquake and the tsunami and earthquake in Japan.  In response to Hurricane Sandy, ODCA is working closely with the Student Senate and the Office of Student Activities and Programs to organize and galvanize the relief efforts described below. “One of the major benefits of being a Teachers College student is your place in the larger community.  Being in New York affords us many opportunities, and it's important for TC and its students to be an active part of New York's recovery,” said Student Senate President Vikash Reddy.

“There are numerous efforts locally and far-reaching that provide the opportunity to donate goods, raise funds, and volunteer,” says Jolene Lane, Director for Diversity and Community Affairs. “If you want to get involved, please regularly check the TC Cares site often [www.tc.edu/TCcares], and scroll down to see the comprehensive list of several opportunities to help.

This week, the College, through TC Cares and the TC Student Senate, will begin a week-long drive to collect much needed items to donate to organizations that are directly engaged in local relief efforts. 

Members of the TC Community are encouraged to help collect coats, school supplies, and diapers.  Donations should be brought to 112 Zankel (the former Human Resources Office).  All donations should be made by noon this coming Friday, November 16th.

Lane offers the following specifics on what’s needed:

Coats
New York Cares is beginning its annual coat drive early this year.  If you have new or gently used coats that you can donate, please bring them to any of our donation locations.  NY Cares needs coats of all sizes.

School Supplies
Hundreds of New York City schools sustained damage as a result of Hurricane Sandy.  With many schools temporarily closed or relocated, teachers and students need various basic supplies.  Working with NYC Service, TC Cares will be donating these items to New York City schools that have been badly affected by Hurricane Sandy.  If you have any of the following items that are new and still packaged, please bring them to any of our drop-off locations.  Please note: TC Cares is not able to donate used school supply items. Most needed are the following new/packaged items:

• marble notebooks
• two-pocket folders
• packs of #2 pencils
• reams of loose-leaf paper
• packs of dry-erase markers
• packs of 3x3 Post-It Notes
• backpacks and plastic lunchboxes

Diapers
TC Cares is collecting diapers of all sizes for affected families with children.  Please bring packages or diapers and wipes to our drop-off points.  At this time, the College can only donate diapers that are packaged and packages of wet wipes.

Financial Donations
Members of the TC Community are encouraged to join the TC Cares fundraising effort at www.crowdrise.com/TCcaresSandy.  You can direct your contribution towards a number of worthy organizations that are working to assist those who have been impacted by Hurricane Sandy.

Literacy Lifeboats Initiative:

The Teachers College Reading and Writing Project has launched Literacy Lifeboats, an initiative to support teachers and children in schools that have been hard hit by Hurricane Sandy (see the story at here). This effort cannot provide homes and roads, but it can help survivors remember that throughout history, people have used words to make sense of their lives, to reach for help, to reconstruct narratives of hope and resolve.  Literacy Lifeboats will provide hard-hit schools with an abundance of books, and with the rugs, easels, and bookcases that enable teachers to reconstruct literacy-rich classrooms.

http://tc.readingandwritingproject.com/literacy-lifeboats. 

Volunteering

If you are interested in  VOLUNTEERING :
You can find information at www.newyorkcares.com, www.redcross.org, and www.nyc.gov/service.

Kingsborough Community College (KBCC) is looking for volunteer tutors in Reading/Writing and Math to help their students hard hit by Hurricane Sandy to catch up with their school work as the end of the semester approaches (see the story at here). KBCC’s Academic Affairs unit will match tutors with students in need for tutoring sessions by phone or Skype, so if you are interested, please send along your name, email address and availability through the end of November to Jolene Lane, Director for Diversity and Community Affairs, jl3275@tc.columbia.edu or x8410.

Published Monday, Nov. 12, 2012