LOCAL RED CROSS WINS NATIONAL AWARD

The Tompkins County chapter of the American Red Cross was presented the Top School Project Award at the Red Cross National Convention for their work with Caroline Elementary students in support of the Measles Initiative National Youth Campaign.
The five week program, introduced into the classroom this past spring, was designed to teach elementary-age students about the deadly disease that kills thousands in Africa yearly, while teaching other valuable lessons, including reading and writing, government and math, health and nutrition, as well as kindness, justice, and philanthropy.
This project, developed by Red Cross volunteer Jeff Weiss and 4th grade teacher Anita Bellucci, is one of the first projects in the United States related to the Measles Initiative to work with elementary school students, integrating multiform education with fundraising.
Through this program, the students learned how nutrition is related to measles and the immune system, how measles compares to HIV/AIDS and also about how it's transmitted, prevented and treated.
In addition, curriculum was built educating the fourth-graders about the type of governments in African countries, the role of local African governments in the Measles Initiative, the role the U.S. government takes in immunization compared to African countries, as well as government priorities and costs.
They also learned about civic responsibility through their fundraising efforts. The students raised $800 for the initiative by creating and designing postcards asking for donations, and sending them to their families and friends.
The Measles Initiative is a long-term commitment to control measles deaths of children in Africa by vaccinating 200 million children and preventing 1.2 million deaths over the next five years. Measles and its complications kill approximately 450,000 children each year in Africa; deaths that can be prevented through vaccination. The Measles Initiative is a cooperative project between Red Cross societies in Africa, American Red Cross, Center for Disease Control, UNICEF, World Health Organization, and United Nations Foundation.