A $2,000 community appeal will provide school supplies, books, musical instruments and recreational equipment for educational programs serving refugee children and other vulnerable youth.
The Greek America Foundation is calling on its supporters to help fill a classroom on Chios with the practical tools children need to learn, create, play and connect.
The organization has launched a community fundraising appeal to purchase approximately $2,000 worth of classroom supplies, books, musical instruments, sports equipment and other items that will support educational and recreational programs for refugee children and other vulnerable young people on the island.
The campaign is connected to the Foundation’s Community Days on Chios, taking place July 31 and August 1 as part of the tenth anniversary of the Greek America Corps summer volunteer program. Current volunteers, alumni, families, supporters and local partners will gather for two days of service alongside METAdrasi, the Greek nonprofit organization supporting refugees, migrants and other vulnerable populations.
Greek America Corps volunteers have worked with METAdrasi on Chios for years, assisting with teaching, music, sports, arts and crafts, cooking, maintenance and recreational activities for children. This summer’s Community Days program will expand that work by bringing members of the wider Greek America Foundation community directly into the service effort.
Participants will spend time with children connected with the VIAL refugee community, creating art, playing sports and music, preparing food and sharing activities designed to encourage creativity, movement and interaction. Volunteers will also clean and improve common areas, organize classroom and storage spaces, prepare gardens and paint a mural at the facility. A community beach cleanup will bring volunteers, METAdrasi staff and adult refugees together in service to the island’s natural environment.
To support these initiatives beyond the two-day gathering, the Foundation hopes to complete a classroom wish list that includes a guitar for music lessons, backpacks, notebooks, pencil cases, children’s books, novels for teenagers, games, art materials, shelving, soccer and volleyball equipment and paint for the improvement projects.
The campaign will also provide water, snacks, a shared meal and an ice cream celebration with the children.
The list is modest, but its purpose is not.
A notebook can give a child space to write and imagine. A guitar can introduce music into a classroom. A soccer ball can bring children together even when they do not speak the same language. Paint can turn an institutional space into something brighter, warmer and more welcoming.
According to the Foundation’s “Fill a Classroom on Chios” appeal, donations of nearly any size can fund something tangible. Five dollars can purchase a pencil case. Fifteen dollars can provide a backpack or basic art supplies. Fifty dollars can cover snacks or an ice cream gathering, while $100 can help paint and transform a shared space or bring children and volunteers together for a meal.
The Foundation’s volunteers have already traveled from across North America and dedicated part of their summer to serving on Chios. Now the organization is asking the wider community to stand behind their work and help ensure that they leave behind more than memories.
The entire wish list can be completed for roughly $2,000. Choose an item, sponsor an experience or contribute whatever you can. Every donation will become a book, a backpack, a musical instrument, a game, a meal or another resource placed directly into the programs serving children on Chios.
Donate now and help the Greek America Foundation fill the entire classroom wish list.
Those unable to contribute are encouraged to share the campaign and help it reach others. Together, the community can equip the classroom, support the volunteers and show these children that people near and far see them, value them and care about their future.
