By TAMI QUIGLEY Staff writer
The spirit of charity is alive and well at Bethlehem Catholic High School (Becahi), where a group of dedicated and motivated students involved with The Movement have been recognized for their efforts.
“The Movement is a new charity club created by students at Becahi. It was formed with the intention of engaging the students and other members of our community in helping charitable organizations reach their goals, while growing closer as a community,” said faculty moderator Stephen Tomaszewski.
“It allows our students to serve with compassion, build community connections, as well as develop leadership and organizational skills that will carry them beyond the classroom.
“This club recognizes the fact that not all charity is just raising money for an organization, rather volunteering time or even donating supplies. This club has the ability to get the entire student body involved in making a difference in our own community.”
The Movement was recognized with the Outstanding Youth in Philanthropy Award by the Association of Fundraising Professionals Eastern Pennsylvania Chapter at the National Philanthropy Day Awards Celebration Breakfast Nov. 15, 2018 at DeSales University, Center Valley.
The Movement was formed in last summer for the current school year.
“As a club, we decided on main nonprofit organizations that we felt were prominent in our community and affected a range of students at our school,” Tomaszewski said.
“During the month of September, we worked with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and implemented Suicide Awareness in our high school. We held a car wash, which raised a little over $1,000 for the foundation. During the month of November, we ran a Dine and Donate week at The Clubhouse Grille in Bethlehem, which raised $1,600 for the Wounded Warriors Association through a dinner percentage and raffles.
“We also spent a few days after school with many kids from the student body to fill out encouraging cards for our servicemen and women overseas. We packaged these cards up and sent them to Operation Gratitude, a foundation that puts together care packages for veterans.”
Next the club ran a successful diaper and wipes drive at Becahi for the Cay Galgon Life House (formerly Mary’s Shelter Cay Galgon Center), Bethlehem during January.
“The club held a 12-hour event at the school from March 1 at 8 p.m. to March 2 at 8 a.m., which they called a Student Body Lock-In, which raised $29,000 for a pediatric cancer organization called Sassy Massey Smiles Foundation. It was an event for our student body to gather and celebrate, and the conclusion to a year of hard work and charity accomplished by our students,” Tomaszewski said.
Student members of The Movement presented the check to Janell Massey of Coopersburg, who lost her daughter Jillian to pediatric cancer. She is leader of the Sassy Massey Smiles Foundation and a late 1990s graduate of Becahi. “Her organization was chosen for its ties to the Becahi community and the Lehigh Valley,” Tomaszewski said.
The lock-in raised $28,232, and additional donations after the event raised the total to $29,000. Students subsequently went with Massey to purchase $29,000 worth of toys for numerous children’s hospitals.
The Sassy Massey Smiles Foundation’s mission is to spread Jillian Massey’s kindness by delivering miles of smiles to sick children by providing toys and child life programs with playroom resources to create fun, happy and memorable play experiences during a hospital stay or clinic visit.
Five-year-old Jillian died Dec. 4, 2017, 20 months after her initial diagnosis of an aggressive brain and spine cancer. For more information on the foundation, visit their website.
“At the 12-hour event, we had a room open for students to fill out inspirational letters to children struggling with pediatric cancer. These letters will be donated to Lehigh Valley Children’s Hospital, along with a pair of socks, which were received from a Sock Drive at a local dance studio, Nardi Dance Studio,” said Tomaszewski.
Holly Peslis is chairperson of The Movement. Members include Stephen Botek, Caden Giordano, Jordan Judd, Joseph Kurtz, Elizabeth Lieb, Katherine Martinez, Dillon Murphy, Henry Pavis, Olivia Ronca, Sonia Salamoni, Maddie Wickel and Julia Zambo.
Organizations The Movement has worked with are American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Pennsylvania Wounded Warriors, Operation Gratitude, the Cay Galgon Life House, Sassy Massey and Lehigh Valley Children’s Hospital Pediatric Cancer Ward.
“The Movement was and is designed as a student empowerment group to become active and engaged in their community. I truly believe leadership is ownership, and that is exactly what these students carry out with this special and unique group. The group is student led and student organized. The leadership these students have displayed in making a change in their community makes them a role model to all,” said Tomaszewski.
“Their motto this year has been ‘A Wave of Change.’ They have made a significant impact on the culture of the school and the Becahi community. The dedication these students have shown throughout the year to a commitment of self-sacrifice is awe-inspiring.”
Tomaszewski, who teaches social studies at Becahi and coaches baseball at Moravian College, Bethlehem, shared how he feels his role is as mentor and guide for The Movement’s students.
“The focus is on the students. The true activists and owners of all the accolades are the students. They have worked tirelessly to provide service opportunities for their peers, organize and run a 12-hour overnight event to raise money for Sassy Massey and bring together over 200 of their classmates, and reached out to other organizations in the area to give donations that they desperately need.
“Their commitment and drive makes education the most rewarding profession.”
Tomaszewski said special recognition should be given to Peslis, the group’s chairperson. “Her countless hours of work and organization were vital to the group’s ability to reach their goals.”
“Out of the many activities I have found myself involved in throughout my four years at Becahi, The Movement, by far, has been the most impactful. It has given me the opportunity to make lifelong memories with my peers and form incredible relationships with each organization,” Peslis said.
“With each step of planning and the overwhelming response from the student body through each event, I felt as though our ‘movement’ was making a difference in our community.
“The Movement has become a club that is planned to continue far past my high school years. My hope is that it continues to keep the spirit of philanthropy alive in our school and that future students, ones I have never even thought of, have the opportunity to grow in service and discover that they, too, have the power to make a difference.”
Tomaszewski said The Movement name was derived from a lifestyle clothing company called The Positive Vibe Movement, which was launched five years ago by Matt Bahnick, a 2010 graduate of Becahi. Bahnick and his brother A.J. run the company from their parents’ Schnecksville basement.
“A portion of his clothing and apparel sales goes to suicide prevention,” Tomaszewski said. “Matt is a former player of mine from when I was an assistant baseball coach here at the school. We have stayed in touch and I think his message is one everyone can relate to.”
The Positive Vibe Movement recently gained viral attention when Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Bryce Harper wore one of the hats the brothers sell.
