Teachers at Robert Frost spearheaded a collection drive that gifted costume jewelry to brighten the spirits of local cancer patients.
The spark for the project came last year, when Spanish teacher Meredith Telese was driving past Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in Commack, and began thinking of a way to spread happiness to those in need.

“I brainstormed a few ideas, and decided that collecting jewelry, attaching a poem to it, and delivering it to the patients at Sloan would be perfect,” said Telese. “That way, those who received chemotherapy treatments could leave the center with a new piece of jewelry to make them feel happy and beautiful.”

Telese was joined on the project by fellow teacher and friend Christy Freire, assisting in the collection and distribution process. The two met in January and sent out emails to their colleagues, requesting donations to be placed in baskets. Within a few days, the two teachers received hundreds of beautiful pieces, which they individually wrapped before recently delivering to Sloan Kettering, the Stony Brook Cancer Center and other local facilities.