Students in Fordham Westchester’s Graduate School of Social Service volunteered on February 20th for a project sponsored by The Matthew Wallace Foundation, Habitat for Humanity and Westhab by distributing backpacks to homeless children at the Day Spring Community Center in Yonkers.
The reason for the mid-year backpack replacement is that many backpacks have either been lost or damaged. The Matthew Wallace Foundation came up with the idea to replenish backpacks at mid-year for the homeless children. The foundation is a national, not-for-profit charitable organization founded in 2014 as a living Memorial to perpetuate the memory and philosophy of Matthew, who was tragically killed in a train accident, through education and community programs. The foundation’s goal is to award 22 scholarships annually to students who are as dynamic as Matthew and exhibits the following traits: humility, courage, camaraderie, community service, and humanitarian interest. The quantity and amount of grants rewarded annually are based on donations to the foundation. As Matthew believed that grades were not a true barometer of ones potential, grades will not weigh in the grantees’ selection process.
The Wallace family with Fordham Westchester GSS students Aleisha McDowell (Fordham shirt) and Marguerita Johnson (far right).