Caribbean Catastrophes Unite Stuyvesant

Students and faculty came together to hold a two week-long fundraiser to provide aid for Mexico, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, following the recent natural disasters that occurred there. The fundraiser began on Wednesday, October 4, and ended on Friday, October 20.

In September, Mexico was struck by an 8.2 magnitude earthquake and a 7.1 magnitude earthquake, killing hundreds of people. Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands were devastated by Hurricane Maria, one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record, in the same month. One month later, many of these areas are still facing a humanitarian crisis.

The fundraiser started as a collaborative effort between SPARK, Spectrum, Stuyvesant Key Club, the world languages department, and the Sophomore and Senior Caucuses. The Senior Caucus spearheaded the effort with SPARK Coordinator Angel Colon and Spanish teachers Pasqua Rocchio and Anna Montserrat and approached the Sophomore Caucus and individual clubs to involve more students. “We were very supportive of the idea, as was the entire [Student Union (SU)], and so the drive became a co-effort,” Sophomore Caucus President Vishwaa Sofat said in an e-mail interview.

Volunteers collected cash donations and basic supplies from students on the second floor. The flags of Puerto Rico and Mexico and posters advertising the drive were set up throughout the school. Blurbs about the fundraiser were also included in the newsletters sent out by Parent Coordinator Dina Ingram and the SU.

Many other clubs and organizations collaborated to help the fundraiser, as well. Spectrum sold stickers and pins to raise awareness for the LGBTQ+ community, and donated all proceeds to the drive. ASPIRA, Stuyvesant’s Hispanic culture club, donated all profits from their Hispanic Heritage Month Dinner to the cause.

The Sophomore and Senior Caucuses will send the money to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), which will then be used to help rebuild impacted communities. “UNICEF is known for their humanitarian emergency aid. They have projects set up [in the] areas of disaster to make sure affected families have the resources, especially water and hygiene support,” Sophomore Caucus Vice President Eve Wening said.

Key Club is working simultaneously with New York and Puerto Rican partnerships to see that the physical goods are shipped to the affected areas and distributed.

The Sophomore Caucus hopes to use this experience for future fundraisers. “Initially, we weren’t sure how much money we would collect, but the Stuyvesant population proved to be generous and active citizens in the global community,” Sofat said.

“After seeing how successful this fundraiser was we have more confidence moving forward, and hopefully, Stuyvesant can continue to help those in need across the world,” Wening said.