Staten Island students make care packages for cancer patients, chronically ill | In Class column

IN CLASS: This feature is part of an ongoing education column highlighting the various activities that engage school communities.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Staten Island high school students spent a recent day off from school creating care packages to those undergoing cancer treatment and managing chronic illnesses.

Students at Port Richmond High School gathered at the school building on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which is a day off for public school students, to put together care packages for the local, student-led organization, Never Lose Hope — hosted in partnership with the YMCA.

The student-run initiative said it believes that small gestures of kindness and love “can have a significant impact on the well-being of patients and their families.” Care packages include many essentials, such as blankets, lemon drops, ginger tea, ginger chews, mini tissues, mini hand sanitizer, lip balm, crosswords, coloring books, lotion, stress balls, saltine crackers and mini journals/notebooks.

The group meets every week after school to create care packages. It runs an ongoing collection to fundraise. To donate, you can visit never-lose-hope.org/.

NEW FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM

A new fellowship at Columbia University is available to high-achieving, recent City University of New York (CUNY) college graduates.

The Columbia University School of Professional Studies (SPS) has introduced the new fellowship program, the Columbia SPS CUNY Fellowship, for the 2024–2025 school year. It aims to provide recent CUNY graduates with a bachelor’s or master’s degree access to Columbia’s vast academic, professional and community resources.

“We are thrilled to launch this new fellowship program for CUNY graduates,” said Troy Eggers, dean of Columbia University School of Professional Studies (SPS). “Aligned with President Minouche Shafik’s vision for the University, this program will give…