Learning the value of charity

Chabad of the Five Towns preschool students donate money to Hatzalah

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The students of Gan Chamesh, Chabad of the Five Towns preschool, displayed the compassion and charity they learned throughout the school year during their graduation march on June 14.

As the 90 preschoolers paraded on Maple Avenue in Cedarhurst they performed the mitzvah (good deed) of charity, as each student collected pennies in individual jars throughout the school year. Students placed their money boxes into a grand Tzedakah (charity) box to be received by Hatzalah, the volunteer emergency medical service.

Besides the donation, the goal was to teach the children the meaning of charity, and show them where their money actually goes. Throughout the school year, the students worked with the school’s math unit to count, sort, categorize and add their savings, a recent addition to the school’s educational program.

The school also stressed the importance of the students conceptualizing that charity is not just to be given to the poor, but also to organizations that can help many people. Hatzalah members taught the kids that their money can be used to purchase bandages, gas for the ambulances and other needed supplies.

At the parade, Hatzalah members pulled a truck up with the grand Tzedakah box for the students to present their savings directly to them. After their march, the children shook their noisy boxes and proudly made their donations to mark a successful conclusion to a year of learning.