End inequities with your dollar: giving opportunities

By Phoebe Farag Mikhail

It’s my birthday, and I’m raising money for some great causes! Give a pack of books to underprivileged children in Paterson, NJ through a local independent bookstore, or help fund a scholarship for high school students in that community going to college in Fall 2021. Give a backpack kit to a student in Jamesburg, NJ and Trenton, NJ School Districts, both under-resourced communities, or support communities heavily affected by COVID-19 in Philadelphia. Read more about each initiative below:

Summer Reading Book Bundles to Benefit Paterson Public School Students K-8th

Photo by Airman 1st Class Kaylee Dubois/Released

Bookends Bookstore is an independent bookstore in Ridgewood, NJ that has partnered with Paterson Public Schools and Paterson Reads to give a child in Paterson, NJ the gift of summer reading! You can donate a stack of books to a child in the grade of your by visiting this website and clicking on the grade level of your choice. Then go to checkout, pay for the books, making sure to choose “pickup” and not shipping. Ignore any automated messages or emails, as Bookends will be delivering these books directly to the students in Paterson. Each bundle includes 5 or 6 books specially selected for that grade. Bookends has discounted the books with a teacher’s discount, and the books will be delivered weekly to the students.

Everyone who reads this blog knows how important reading is for children. This is a great way to provide books to children in an under-resourced community and help them overcome any disadvantages by filling their homes with books. Not only that, but the initiative helps support a local independent bookstore during the COVID-19 shutdown.

Donate a book stack here: https://bookends-online2.square.site/paterson-summer-reading

Michelle Sous Foundation Paterson Student Scholarship Fund

Photograph of Paterson Great Falls by Phoebe Farag Mikhail (c) 2019

Today, the Michelle Sous Foundation, in which I am a board member, announced its intention to fund a college scholarship for high achieving high school students in Paterson who are going to college or university in the Fall of 2021. The Foundation will partner with local community organizations in Paterson to identify students who are both high achievers and who have made a positive contribution to their communities.

I am so excited about the potential of this program to support local students who just need that extra financial push to reach their dreams and make a difference in their own lives, their family’s lives, and their community. During the COVID-19 lockdown, the Foundation partnered with Oasis – A Haven for Women and Children in Paterson to provide PPE for their staff and to support their local food pantry, where more and more people are in need of a nutritious meal as they face lay-offs and loss of business during the pandemic. We’ll continue to work with local organizations for this scholarship program.

Donate any amount to help fund the scholarship here: https://www.michellesousfoundation.org/donate-2

Donate a Backpack Kit to students in the Jamesburg and Trenton School Districts

Many under-resourced communities have been adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. St. Anianus Coptic Orthodox Church has partnered with the Jamesburg School District and Trenton School District to support their students in need. This year’s goal is to provide at least 100 backpacks to students in these districts.

1. Able to sponsor a backpack kit (or more!)? Sponsorship for one backpack kit is $20.00. Each backpack kit will include a backpack, 48 items of school supplies, and 2 kid-sized cloth masks. Simply sponsor through this link and we will take care of the rest!

2. Want to share some words of encouragement to a child? We would like to include a card or letter with some words of encouragement in each backpack. You can mail your note to the church at 143 N. Bergen Mills Road, Monroe, NJ.

The deadline to support this endeavor is July 25^th. Please email Mourin Thomas at mourinthomas1@gmail.com if you have any questions.

Sponsor a backpack here: https://tinyurl.com/BackPacksSAchurch

Support Communities in Philadelphia adversely affected by COVID-19

My friend is a committee member on outreach/partnership for Asian Mosaic Fund, which has partnered with the Black Giving Circle to give 25% of their fundraising to Asian Pacific Islander grassroot organizations affected by Covid-19 to the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium and the Philadelphia Community Bailout Fund. To learn more and/or donate click here. Their goal is to raise $75,000 and they have reached over one third of their goal thus far. The campaign ends on July 24^th, 2020.

Make your donation here: https://asianmosaicfund.wedid.it/campaigns/7566