A 12-year-old M.S. 101 student has taken the initiative to raise hundreds of dollars for Haitian earthquake victims.
On Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend, Wilcox Avenue resident Adam Israfil knocked on doors and visited businesses in his neighborhood to ask for spare change. Israfil, who belongs to Boy Scout Troop 162, borrowed the idea from his school.
“It started when the students wanted to do a dress down to raise money for Haiti,” M.S. 101 principal Kim Hampton Hewitt said.“In addition to academics, we teach them how to be good citizens.”
In his Boy Scout uniform, Israfil set out to raise $100, but collected nearly $300.The people he approached made donations of $5, $10 or $20.
“I thought about how devastating it would be to lose my home and family.I wanted to help to rebuild the Haitian community,” Israfil said.
Senator Jeff Klein visited the big-hearted seventh grader at M.S. 101 on Thursday, January 21. The senator declared the day Adam Israfil Day and presented Israfil with a check for $300 to match his own effort.
“What Adam did is just so special,” Klein Said.“He personifies what all parents hope for in a child, someone that at such a young age has set great goals.”
Israfil also accepted a “Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition” from Congressman Joseph Crowley.
“We’re so proud,” father Nabi Israfil, who walked with his son to collect the donations, said.“It’s not just what Adam did, but what the community did together.”
Reach reporter Amanda Marinaccio at 718 742-3394 or amarinaccio@cnglocal.com
