Nickel and diming for East Rockaway

When Lynbrook High School class of 1985 graduate Karen Mitchell’s 8-year-old son Skylar found out about the damage that was done in New York from Hurricane Sandy, he went right to work. Challenged by a family friend Doreen Moran of Valley Stream, Skylar, a second-grader at Laurel Oaks Elementary in Naples Fla., started to collect dimes from anyone he knew to help a school in New York. “The wheels started turning immediately,” said Mitchell, “thinking of ways he could raise money.”

The very next morning, Mitchell said that she found Skylar in the kitchen, already dressed and ready for school, coloring a flier that he intended to distribute.

“That same day I called the East Rockaway Education Foundation and gathered some information,” Mitchell said. “I shared a short video, showing [Skylar] the damaged that happened to East Rockaway schools — and he wrote the rest of his flier out the next morning. I told him I would set up an appointment to meet with his principal if he was willing to move forward with raising some money.”

It did not surprise Mitchell or her husband, Stuart that when she went to pick him up from school to meet with the principal, he jumped into the car and said he had everything covered and there was no need for me to go with him. “He did it himself and the fundraiser was on!”

“I did this because I want to help, and I know how much damage was done,” said Skylar. “If it happened to me I hope other people would do the same that I am doing now. Two people from New York, Aunt Dor Aunt Janie always supports me in my fundraisers, and now it is time to return the favor. When I saw the video I felt really bad for the people that don’t have homes and don’t have schools. I hope the kids can be back in the schools soon as possible.”

Prior to Skylar and his classmates going on holiday break, the Mitchells, along with Skylar’s sister, Rachael, printed the fliers as labels and placed them on 781 plastic bags and stuffed them with a quick note explaining his plans. They were distributed to all the students in the school in hopes they would gather up any loose change they could over their holiday break and bring back to school when they returned on January 7.