Business moms send care packages to school staff

When Freeville resident Bec Haley and Summerhill resident Maria Northup first met at church, the two quickly hit it off. Haley’s daughter babysat for Northup, and the two collaborated on a variety of fundraisers and community service opportunities in their area.

Now, Haley and Northup have partnered again, this time responding to the challenges schools are facing after reopening, to provide care packages to teachers and staff at their area schools.

“The idea is really to send a little package of encouragement and care to those school staff that are all working so hard,” Haley said.

Haley is a licensed massage therapist and certified clinical herbalist. She has lived in the Freeville area for over two decades. Northup, meanwhile, is a qualified health professional and a director at Lemongrass Spa in Cortland. She worked at the William George Agency for five years and has maintained her connection to the Dryden area through her clients and friends, like Haley.

This most recent fundraiser was mostly inspired by the start of the new school year at the women’s area schools. Northup described what she saw staff and teachers grappling with.

“I’m a pretty sensitive, empathetic person,” she said. “And I feel like as soon as all of the school stuff happened, I just had a really deep heartache for the teachers and the school staff and everything that they were going through.”

She knew she wanted to help, so after letting the thought “roll around” in her mind, Northup realized that the school staff members were on their feet scrambling and were overall stressed. So, Northup decided on giving staff members products to help them destress. That’s when Haley came in.

“She said, ‘I have this great idea.’ And I said, ‘Awesome,’” Haley said. “Maria is the idea person for sure. And, if it hits my heart in the right way, I’m like, ‘Yes, let’s do that.’”

The two decided to combine their resources and make care packages that include a foot kit from Northup, a $5 off coupon for a 30-minute chair massage at Haley’s business and Haley’s uplifting essential oil blend, all accompanied by a card showing appreciation for the recipient.

The original idea was to cover Northup’s school district, Groton, but with Haley’s numerous connections to Freeville, adding Freeville Elementary School was an easy decision. The two wanted to provide care packages for all staff members at their schools, not just the teachers, knowing that every staff member is facing similar challenges but don’t always receive the same recognition.

Deciding on the fundraiser and then the contents of the packages was only half of the process; the rest was getting folks to sponsor a school staff member by purchasing a care package, which was no easy task.

As the two reached out to people in their communities, often people they didn’t know, they experienced a considerable amount of rejection. Northup said that it was hard for some people to understand the challenges school staff members are facing, and that rejection was particularly disheartening.

“It’s not like we’re setting up a really fun spa event where people can just say, ‘No, thank you. I’m not going’ online,” Northup said. “They’re saying ‘No, thank you,’ or ‘No, I’m not interested’ to my face. So, that can make me want to quit when I have 190 school staff to raise a full kit for or a relief kit for.”

But the two didn’t quit. While some people pushed back against Northup and Haley’s efforts, others welcomed and embraced it. For Northup, much of that positive reaction came from fellow moms.

“Moms, I think, can relate to what they’re seeing the teachers go through,” she said. “They’ve been like, ‘Oh, my gosh. I’m so glad that you’re doing this because I wanted to do something for the teachers and the school staff, but I just couldn’t figure out how to fit it into my schedule or what to give them. So, thank you so much.’”

Some people were very generous, purchasing several care packages or sending extra money to pay for staff members’ massages. For Haley, these encouraging responses came from a variety of community members.

“It’s not just moms,” she said. “It’s really, I think, people that are aware, that are maybe in the educational industry or that are aware of the effects of this are responding incredibly well and [are] like, ‘Wow, this is such a great idea. And yes, we want to sponsor a teacher. And if you need more sponsors, let me know.’ That’s what I’m hearing from people.”

And the schools welcome their efforts as well.

“My understanding after speaking to the PTO was that they are not ready to fire off anything; they’re overwhelmed,” Northup said. “So, I reached out directly to the school district, and they honestly sounded like they wanted to cry. Like, ‘oh my gosh, I can’t believe we don’t have to pay for this; we don’t have to figure this out. You guys are just doing this all for us.’”

The fundraiser has a few weeks under its belt, and the two are up to about 40 sponsors so far. The first batch of care packages was delivered Oct. 2, with more bulk drop-offs planned as more sponsors come in. At the time of this publication, no staff members have received their care packages yet, but the two are optimistic about the effect the packages will have on the recipients.

“I’ve gotten a massage from Bec, and a massage will benefit the community,” Northup said. “I’ve also used this foot kit, and I have 700 customers, and … they said that this foot kit is the best foot treatment they’ve ever gotten. And that’s a foot treatment you give yourself. So, I think that when somebody sits down and they experience this little baggie that they’re going to feel the love that went into that bag. And that love is going to go into their home, and every single home needs that right now.”

The two are continuing to reach out in their area to bring in more supporters. To help get the word out, Haley sent an email to the Freeville listserv, where locals can see the message and get involved.

Kits are $15 each. Those interested in sponsoring a school staff member can contact Northup at 845-741-1986 or Maria.North12@gmail.com or Haley at 607-280-6456 or bghaley@gmail.com.

In Brief:

Youth Opportunity Grants

The Dryden Youth Opportunity Fund (DYOF) is now accepting grant applications to be reviewed later this fall.
Grant funds are awarded twice a year for the long-term benefit of Dryden-area youth through innovative and creative programs and activities that go beyond the basic requirements of public education. Projects should focus on cultural enrichment, academic achievement and general youth development.

These funds may be used to supplement educational and extra-curricular activities generally funded by school budgets but are not intended to replace them.

Any group sponsored by a not-for-profit organization that serves Dryden youth is eligible to apply.

Grant applications will be reviewed by the DYOF Board of community volunteers in November. For more information, or to download a grant application form, go to www.dyof.org or write to DYOF, P.O. Box 1076, Dryden, NY 13053.