Merokean gives students at home and abroad a 'Reason2Smile'

In a recent conversation with the Herald Life, Donna Rosenblum beamed about her affinity for actress Gal Gadot and the “Wonder Woman” franchise — her obsession was evident from the “Wonder Mom” mug she drank coffee from that morning. She also noted that the movie’s “No Man’s Land” scene parallels her life to some small degree.

“She wants to get across to help the people on the other side, but everybody’s telling her she can’t — that it’s impossible,” Rosenblum explained, “but she takes a stand to do the impossible. She’s making a difference . . . and that’s what I feel I’m doing with Reason2Smile.”

Rosenblum, of Merrick, is executive director of Reason2-Smile, a nonprofit that provides educational opportunities and life’s necessities to the students of the Jambo Jipya School in Mtwapa, Kenya. Christine Mwende founded the school in 2004. After volunteering there in 2006, Keela Grimmette, of Lake Placid, founded Reason2Smile in 2009. Its mission is to create a sustainable living and learning environment for children in developing countries.

Rosenblum, 54, joined the organization’s board in 2011, and was promoted to her current role in 2016. She has a personal connection to Kenya: She and her husband, Charlie, honeymooned there in 1989. When their daughter, Ellie, studied abroad in South Africa in 2013, they revisited the continent, and Rosenblum visited Jambo Jipya for the first time.

The experience, she said, was “surreal.” “To go and meet Christine . . . and the children [made] it a real thing,” Rosenblum said, “and it kind of solidified that this was something I wanted to do.”

Local efforts 

As supervisor of the Nassau BOCES School Library System, Rosenblum uses her background as an educator and librarian to develop new ways in which the organization can impact people at home and abroad. “We’re an anomaly here in the United States — that every child has access to education,” she said, “but [in] a lot of the world that doesn’t happen, and we forget that.”

Rosenblum visits classrooms across Nassau to involve students in Reason2-Smile fundraisers and enlighten them about Kenya’s education system. At elementary schools, she sets up what she calls her education trunk. The rolling luggage is packed with teaching tools to enhance students’ understanding of Kenyan life.

Each spring, she partners with Debbie Cain’s sixth-grade class at Chatterton Elementary School in Merrick as students learn about youth activism and writing for a social cause. In conjunction with this unit, they engage in a two-week “Acts of Kindness” campaign and a “Koins for Kenya” fundraiser.

“They go into the lower-grade classrooms to teach them about Reason2Smile, and the importance of giving back to help provide a better education for students in Jambo Jipya,” Cain explained. “Donna’s passion is contagious, and the students always walk away more motivated than before.”

At Birch School, Alison Ippolito’s fourth-grade class was treated to a reading of “Neema’s Reason to Smile” by Patricia Newman. (Rosenblum helped get the book published.) The story details a girl named Neema’s dreams of one day being able to afford an education.

“This touching story reminds us just how valuable education is . . . because not everyone is offered the same opportunities,” Ippolito said. “Ms. Rosenblum facilitated a discussion with the class, and they were immediately eager to help.” To raise money, Ippolito’s students bought craft kits from Reason2Smile to create their own beaded bracelets, and sold rubber bracelets provided by the organization to the rest of the school.

This month, Rosenblum will again visit Mepham High School to present to juniors and seniors as well as community leadership students. “Donna sheds light on the discrepancies in education in a manner that connects with our students, [and] her personal antidotes humanize this injustice,” librarian Shari Stack said. “She asks our students to really consider what they’re passionate about and encourages them to pursue it.”

A global impact

Encouraging children’s dreams, no matter what obstacles they face, motivates Rosenblum’s work with Reason2-Smile. The organization has funded a number of major projects at Jambo Jipya, including rebuilding classrooms, installing a new roof, and providing books, uniforms and other school supplies annually.

The school has 200 students, from kindergarten through 12th grade. Some live at the nearby Children’s Home, a safe haven for students who don’t have a permanent place to live. Additionally, Reason2Smile supports students in higher education, Rosenblum said, including three nursing students, seven trade school students and a student at the University of Nairobi.

Maureen Wairimu, a former Jambo Jipya student, is now pursuing a bachelor’s in economics and statistics. In 2017, Ryan Rosenblum, Donna’s son, rallied his Calhoun High School Senior Experience Class to raise $10,000 to help Reason2Smile pay for Wairimu’s college tuition.

Rosenblum said some people question how she makes the seemingly impossible happen. “For every 10 doors that slam in my face, one opens,” she said. “You have to look for those little silver linings.”

For more on Reason2Smile, or to donate, visit www.reason2smile.org.