IFMA Cares committee's new Adopt-A-School Program

Through the confluence of caring, resources, and a bit of luck, great ideas are born. Such is the case with the Greater New York of IFMA Cares committee's new "Adopt-A-School Program." Long term IFMA member J. Strong and IFMA Cares committee chair Michael Moskowitz capitalized on the good will of IFMA members to adopt the Richard Stockton (Public School 297) School in Bedford Stuyvesant. History buffs will probably recognize Richard Stockton as one of the original signers of the Declaration of Independence. Situated in the heart of Bed-Stuy, P.S. 297 serves a diverse group of children ranging from the Pre-K to the 5th grade. The school's principal, Maureen Garrity-Marino has helmed P.S. 297 since 1977. In that time she has successfully moved the school into a leading educational model, despite the numerous obstacles along the way. To her credit, even with a recent budget cut of almost a half a million dollars, Garrity-Marino has managed to maintain all her after school programs. Any working parent with children will understand the enormous assistance these types of programs can offer. The school's recent financial difficulties coupled with its emergence from the ELA list (school's not up to average on reading tests), made it a perfect choice for the Adopt-A-School Program. Mike Carlton of Michael Carlton Architecture was instrumental in reaching out to his clients and colleagues as part of his corporate mantra of social responsibility. Three major areas of donations were targeted for P.S. 297. One was to provide the school with 6 new area rugs for the school's "Balanced Literacy Model." This technique has students sitting on the floor of classrooms in small reading groups. Garrity-Marino was delighted with the charitable donations as the current rugs were threadbare and soiled. With the price of oil rocketing and her budget shrinking, the rugs would also provide a warm cushion during cold winter months. Some of the rugs were donated by Pat Craft Designweave, a leader in mid-market designing. Their selection of hundreds of styles in over 50 collections coupled with their customized service make them a market leader. Other rugs were donated by Masland Contract Carpets, which can boast as being a leading carpet manufacturer in the United States. Their over 140 years as a national presence make them a strong choice for many large scale projects. The remaining rugs were donated by Cambridge Carpets. Cambridge has a national presence and a strong expertise in the educational marketplace. Additionally, they also have a division that utilizes state of the art and environmentally correct sound practices for the manufacturing of their products. Blondie's Tree house gave a generous donation of 5 yards of soil which transformed an uneven pile of weeds into a welcoming and inviting flower garden. Founded in 1979, Blondie's Tree house is the sixth largest interior and exterior horticultural firm in the U.S. Housed in a 100 year old renovated factory, Blondie's Tree house can serve any of your "green" needs. The schools entranceway is graced with a host of artwork created by students past and present. Noticing this need, Epigraph Studio graciously donated numerous reams of paper to keep the children's artistic dreams being realized. Epigraph has created corporate identity programs, signage, and interactive building directories for some of the most prestigious companies in New York City. Some of their work can be seen at 75 Rockefeller Plaza and 1251 Avenue of the Americas, the Waldorf Astoria and the United Nations. Mike Moskowitz and his team already have plans for the next Adopt-A-School and plan on continuing with these acts of giving back to the community. Stewart Feitel is with Eagle Transfer Corp., New York, N.Y.