Families explore the selection of books available for the taking, as well as backpack and parent resources, at the UFT's Harlem Week booth.
The “culture, vibe and energy” of Harlem Week is what draws teacher Evelyn Ortiz, the chapter leader at PS 159 in the Belmont section of the Bronx, to volunteer to staff the UFT’s booth each year. This year marked Ortiz’s third helping the union give away books and almost 1,500 backpacks to families attending the annual festival in the historic Manhattan neighborhood. More than 2,500 visitors stopped by the UFT’s table on Aug. 16. They picked up backpacks filled with school supplies or spun a wheel to win a variety of prizes. Ortiz said one of her most gratifying experiences this year had her conversing in pantomime with a family who didn’t speak English and sending them off with picture books and pamphlets about Dial-A-Teacher, the UFT program that provides multilingual homework help to children, and the UFT’s BRAVE anti-bullying campaign. Said Nicholas Cruz, UFT’s director of family and community engagement: “This is what community outreach is all about.”