Wantagh Elementary Gets M.A.D.D. For Make A Difference Day

WANTAGH, NY. — Wantagh Elementary School students celebrated their second consecutive Make a Difference Day this year, donating 34 boxes of gifts to students living in homeless shelters through a partnership with the nonprofit Birthday Wishes.

To help Birthday Wishes bring joy to children in need, Wantagh students helped prepare Birthday Wishes’ “birthday-in-a-box” program, with teachers instructing students on how their efforts can make another child they might never meet feel special and excited on an important day in their year. Each class was assigned a child currently living in a shelter, and put together a custom-themed birthday box for the child. After the theme was chosen, each student brought in an item to fill the box for festivities.

The day was, “dedicated to making a difference in the lives of others,” district representatives said. “Through creativity, compassion, and teamwork, students helped brighten
birthdays and bring smiles to children who need it most.”