Athletes donate new desks to special education students in Chicago's Little Village neighborhood
CHICAGO - A thousand student-athletes from the Chicago area each pitched in a dollar to provide special education students in Little Village with new desks.
The students at Corkery Elementary School have been sharing large tables, so having individual desks is a big deal.
"It provides a flexible learning environment," said special education teacher Grace Brennan. "We can make small groups and then put them together, but most importantly their own work space. Our students learn in different ways, so providing them with a space where they can learn independently is really important."
The desks were the 71st surprise provided in the past 71 months by the "Making a Difference On and Off the Field" campaign.
"You give back and you give good materials and make the environment safe and you really make a difference. And I think that's really important," said De La Salle Academy senior Chase Pitri.
Some high school students volunteered their time over the weekend to put the desks together. The group says they have donated more than $1.5 Million to schools and not for profits all trying to help improve the lives of other people.
"I'm happy," said student Sugeily Basilio when asked about the desks.
Student Ivan Guerrero from St. Patrick High School motioned at the other athletes and said: "We want to beat them on the field. But off the field we're all on the same team and we all want to help the community and help each other."