Louis M. Klein Middle School Students Raise Funds to Help New York School for the Deaf Build a New Playground.

White Plains, NY May 2014 - Currently, students at New York School for the Deaf in White Plains, NY, do not have a playground. Their playground sustained permanent, structural damage from Hurricane Sandy, and children can no longer play on it. NYSD is raising funds to build a new playground that will meet the needs of all students.  Since some students use wheelchairs and walkers, a playground with a surface of wood chips would limit their ability to move and play. Therefore, a playground that has a poured, rubberized surface is needed, so that all of the children can access it and play. This type of surface is much more expensive than wood chips so a targeted fundraising campaign was started last November through the crowd funding site Crowdrise.

Sean Adams with CBS 880 learned of the school’s fundraising efforts and interviewed the students in a story that aired in December of 2013. Students and staff members from Louis M. Klein Middle School in Harrison, NY were touched by the story and they chose to dedicate their annual school carnival towards raising funds for the New York School for the Deaf playground.

Before the carnival, Louis M. Klein Middle School visited New York School for the Deaf, to meet the students and form a more personal bond with their cause. This visit was an enlightening experience for both NYSD and Louis M. Klein students, as they came away realizing that they were much more alike than different. They quickly found ways to communicate and had a great time.

NYSD Executive Director, Dr. Janet Dickinson, said “Thank you for your support of NYSD, and our playground fund. We are so excited to soon be able to provide our students with the accessible playground they need. There are not enough words to thank you all for such a beautiful and generous gesture.”  Steven Goodstein expressed that the Louis M. Klein students are so excited to have been able to help and extended a special invite to their school for an opportunity to hand NYSD students and staff members the check.

Founded in 1817, the New York School for the Deaf, the second oldest school for the deaf in the United States, is a private non-profit charitable 501(c)3 organization operated in cooperation with the New York Department of Education. At NYSD, students thrive when given learning opportunities in and out of the classroom.  Being able to communicate directly with peers, teachers, and coaches is an experience that students are entitled to. At New York School for the Deaf, students have an opportunity to fully participate in student life.   By creating barrier free experiences, students engage with successful adult deaf role models to guide them.

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If you would like more information about New York School for the Deaf please visit nysd.net