Highlights
- World Vision named one of the beneficiaries of the challenge issued to graffiti artist Banksy.
NEW YORK (October 25, 2013) — A year after Hurricane Sandy, students in low income communities still go to school without the essential school supplies they need. World Vision’s response to areas hit hard by the late October 2012 storm, which started as a hurricane, includes distribution of free classroom supplies to teachers at schools where at least 70 percent of the students qualify for free- or reduced-price lunch.
World Vision’s Mobile Teacher Resource Center — a converted school bus bearing notebooks, pencils, binders, scissors and other school supplies — has visited schools in the boroughs of Queens and Staten Island.
A total of 5,168 students and 522 teachers have been served with school supplies and teaching aids from the World Vision Mobile Teacher Resource Center, or TRC. The TRC offers school supplies that educators often have to buy on their own.
The support of partners, volunteers and generous donors has helped World Vision respond, rebuild and restore in communities affected by Sandy. World Vision has been able to distribute and deliver more than 50 truckloads of disaster relief supplies to over 50,000 people.
Products included flood clean-up kits, water, personal hygiene kits, food, blankets, diapers and toys. World Vision also has worked with more than 76 partner-organizations and community groups that are committed to reaching those most in need. In addition, 404 volunteers have served more than 1,500 hours of their time.
As a result of World Vision’s role in Sandy relief efforts, it has been named one of the charities benefiting from the challenge made by Nelson Saiers, a well-known New York hedge fund manager and chief investment officer of Saiers Capital LLC, to Banksy – the British graffiti artist who keeps his identity secret. Saiers challenged Banksy to create a piece of artwork dedicated to Sandy relief efforts in exchange for a $100,000 donation.
On Monday, he ended his personal challenge and decided to donate the entire amount to World Vision.
– END –
About World Vision:
World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization conducting relief, development, and advocacy activities in its work with children, families, and their communities in nearly 100 countries to help them reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. World Vision serves all people regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, or gender. For more information, please visit www.WorldVision.org/media-center/ or on Twitter @WorldVisionUSA.