Our Lady of Grace students “Share the LOVE” with fundraising project

Junior high students at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy in Gravesend are “sharing the love” by raising money for children with chronic or life-threatening illnesses.

Sixth, seventh and eighth grade students were divided into four teams, each assigned a local child to raise money for, including Julia Bruzzese and Josie Masters who have Lyme disease, Gianni Incandela who has craniopharyngioma and Angelina Roberto who has leukemia.

The “Share the Love” project originally began a few years ago, as a persuasive writing campaign for the eighth grade students so they could raise money for local charities. Now, it is a multi-disciplinary project across all of the junior high grades with students on each team soliciting donations from corporations and local businesses,  as well as fundraising in school with bake sales and raffles.

The project culminated with a large community event in the academy’s auditorium on February 3, called “Share the LOVE,” which featured raffles, a Chinese auction, photo booth and a treat sale. Students on each team set up presentation booths around the room to shed light on the children they were fundraising for and the illnesses they face.

State Senator Marty Golden and actor William DeMeo, a Bensonhurst native who has appeared on “Blue Bloods”  and “The Sopranos” as well as performing in “Back in the Day” and most recently “The Life and Death of John Gotti,” attended the successful event.

Meghan Sarno, principal of Our Lady of Grace, said, “I think this is such a great community project, and such a real way our kids get to live out the values we are trying to teach them here are Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy.”