This year the students at the Brendon Montessori School in Poughkeepsie didn’t just exchange candy and cards for Valentine’s Day, they chose to do something even better for their hearts – they played basketball, part of a program to honor a former classmate.
“It’s nice to be able to continue Brenna’s memory, while doing something nice for other children,” said upper-elementary teacher Rupali Mehta.
Brenna Engle, a former Brendon Montessori School student, was killed in a car accident on Feb. 13, 2005. Brenna, in her first year of school at the time, was just 3 years old when she died, and Mehta was the assistant teacher in her classroom.
Following her death, Brenna’s parents, Richard and Donna Engle, asked for donations to be made in Brenna’s memory to the Tabitha Children’s Program – a program based in Lutsk, Ukraine which is dedicated to providing healthy lunches to underprivileged children. The program, which was founded in 2001 by Victor Melnychuk and Valla Yanikofski, initially fed only four children, but today, more than 50 children receive hot meals daily and the program has expanded, providing educational and recreational programs.
The program is affiliated with the Hyde Park Baptist Church, where the Engles had contacts. The family attends New Beginnings Church in Poughkeepsie, which has supported the project as well.
Lutsk is home to more than 200,000 people. It is located by the Styr River in northwestern Ukraine, and is largely industrial. The average life expectancy of a man in Lutsk is only 50 years, which may contribute to the number of children living in the city’s streets. Many children have abusive or alcoholic parents or relatives who are unable to properly care for them.
Inspired by the successes of the Tabitha Children’s Program, and with leftover funds donated on behalf of Brenna, the Engles were able to begin the Brenna Engle Foundation – the financial groundwork for Brenna’s Home for Underprivileged Children, an orphanage in Lutsk dedicated to providing a safe environment for Ukrainian orphans and abandoned children.
As the third anniversary of Brenna’s death approached, Mehta encouraged four of her elementary students to devise an action plan for a fundraiser to benefit Brenna’s Home. The students – Jason Fox, Eleni Katavolos, Keila Rogers and Dorothy Lee – created the plan, and submitted to the school’s director, Carrie Sheeran, for approval.
The outcome? A February Hoop Shoot in the school’s gymnasium.
“We wanted to help the children in the Ukraine, and now we have a gym, and we’re all good at basketball,” said Fox.
The school, which was formerly located in LaGrange at the corner of Routes 55 and 82, temporarily relocated to the former Our Lady of Mt. Carmel School in Poughkeepsie last fall after a fire damaged the school’s facility. At the LaGrange location, the students did not have a gymnasium.
Upper and lower elementary students participated in the Hoop Shoot, and raised nearly $1,000. Primary students and toddlers received pledges and completed an obstacle course. Altogether, the students raised $1,300 for Brenna’s cause and presented the Engles with the money on March 10.
“We were shocked when we found out the students were fundraising for us. We were very moved,” said Donna Engle.
Donna and Richard spent the morning at the school speaking with students about Brenna’s Home, Lutsk, and the children who live at the orphanage. They brought along maps, DVDs and photographs from their most recent trip to Brenna’s Home.
“Money is worth more in the Ukraine. Things are cheaper there and this money is going to help a lot of people,” said Donna.
Brenna’s Home is a two-bedroom apartment with heat, hot water, a toilet, and a kitchen – amenities that the children who live there did not previously have. Of the seven children currently living in the orphanage, five stay there full-time. Two alternating housemothers care for the children.
“On behalf of all the children at Brenna’s Home, we’d like to thank you. It’s so important to learn how to share,” said Richard.
Each year the Engles visit the home, spend time with the children, and bring them clothing and gifts from the United States. They recently returned from a trip to Lutsk, but plan on going back this July to begin a summer camp.
For more information on Brenna’s Home, or for information on how to make a donation, visit www.brennaenglefoundation.org.