For the 2023-24 school year, Westmoreland Central School is encouraging students and staff to support others. Every two months throughout the year, we will adopt a different charity (five charities total) to create awareness and educate people on the wonderful things the organization does. We will plan events in our schools and during extracurricular activities centered around the work that charity does. In addition, each Friday we will show support by dressing in apparel or colors that represent the organization. Our goal is to raise awareness and funds to support those, who are also part of the Westmoreland community, in need.

For September and October we adopted the J-Rob Foundation, Inc. This not for profit provides adaptive sporting equipment to children with physical disabilities or challenges. They also fund sports opportunities to these athletes! Students, staff and community members are encouraged to wear green and purple every Friday in September and October. Check out the video below to learn more about the JRob Foundation!

CLICK HERE to purchase apparel.

In the months of September and October, our school district adopted the J-Rob Foundation Inc. as part of our Adopt-A-Charity Initiative for the 2023-24 school year. For those two months, students, staff and the community raised over $2,000.

Our Jr./Sr. High School, Upper Elementary and Primary Elementary schools held fundraisers together and separately. On Fridays, students and staff were encouraged to wear green and purple for a small donation. Each school also held assemblies hosted by founders of the organization to educate everyone on how they help our community.

In October, Erin Robinson, the mother of Jason Robinson, held an assembly with well-known Boilermaker Wheelchair medal holder, Hermin Garic, at the Primary Elementary. They spoke about how the organization assists athletes with physical disabilities and they even had Jason Robinson speak virtually to the students about how having adaptive equipment helped achieve his dreams.

On October 27, Erin Robinson invited athletes from Sitrin to the Upper Elementary School to speak with students, in a talk show style assembly, about what it’s like playing sports in a wheelchair. After all the students questions were answered, teachers and Sitrin athletes faced off in a battle of wheelchair basketball in the gym.

Throughout the two months, our school district learned how to better understand disabilities, others and the world around them. We are so excited for them to learn about our next charity, the Michelle M. Adey Foundation. We would like to thank all of our students and staff who put their hearts and souls into the J-Rob Foundation. 

For November and December, we will be raising money and awareness for the Michelle M. Adey Memorial Fund. This non-profit was created in 1982 after 6-year-old Michelle Adey, from Central New York, died of Cystic Fibrosis. Her mother, Mary Carmel Wolf, said so many people opened their hearts when they needed help that she wanted to find a way to help families who lived through what they went through.

The organization provides financial assistance to families of dependent children who suffer from a serious illness of any kind. Since their incorporation, they’ve disbursed about $1 million to hundreds of families throughout Central New York. They primarily operate in Oneida, Madison and Herkimer Counties.

To help give back to this charity, we have planned events both in and outside of school and during extracurricular activities. We are also encouraging students, staff and the community to wear the organizations colors, which in this case is red and white, for a donation. Not only are we trying to raise money, but we also want to create awareness about the Michelle M. Adey Fund, the reasons for its inception and the good things they do for the community. There will be student assemblies, essay writing contests and coloring contests. We want our students to learn the importance of giving back to those in need.

For January and February, the district will adopt the Joseph Michael Chubbuck Foundation. Joey Michael Chubbuck played flag football, Pop Warner football and baseball for Westmoreland and attended Westmoreland Central School District from kindergarten to second grade. In March of 2012, at 20 years old, Joey was diagnosed with a rare, aggressive form of cancer. At first, his family thought there was something wrong with his appendix, but emergency surgery lead them to find that his whole abdominal cavity was filled with cancer. Biopsies were taken immediately and sent to the top cancer treatment centers across the country. They found the tumor had a genetic mutation, mostly seen in a rare type of sarcoma known as Demsoplastic Small Round Cell Tumor Small (DSCRT), which is a pediatric cancer typically found in males.

Joey spent months at a hospital in Pennsylvania and then was transferred to another hospital in Texas, enduring multiple treatments and surgeries. After a 16 month fight, Joey passed away on August 1, 2013 at 22 years old.

Throughout those 16 months, the family took on many unexpected challenges. One of Joey’s wishes was to start an organization that helped families who went through what his family endured. The Joseph Michael Chubbuck Foundation, formed in January 2015, provides financial assistance to cancer patients and their families-provides necessary equipment to hospitals, hospices, and treatment centers, supports cancer research and advocates for families/patients who need information and guidance. So far, they’ve donated $406,000.00 to families in need.

In January and February, the district will hold assemblies and conversations. Students and staff are encouraged to wear the color yellow to show support for the organization. Please join us for our Adopt-A-Charity Initiative!

To learn more about the organization or to donate, click here.

Link to order Westmoreland Bulldog Shirt to support Joseph Michael Chubbuck Foundation (store will be up and running on January 7th)

Link to order Joseph Michael Chubbuck Shirt (store will be up and running on January 7th)

“Serving families with nutritious food in Clinton, Clark Mills and Westmoreland, N.Y.” is the Country Pantry’s motto and they’ve lived by it for many years.

The Country Pantry is the fourth organization in our Adopt-A-Charity initiative we kicked off this school year. They provide healthy food and other necessities to many families in Westmoreland, Clinton and Clark Mills. Their goal is to “fill the gap”, which they’ve been doing for a very long time. They partner with local churches to collect and distribute basic needs to our community.

All throughout the year, students and staff in the district will support five charities. We will adopt each charity for two months. During that time, students are educated on how the organization assists the community and they’re encouraged to give back through fundraisers, assemblies and presentations. Each Friday everyone in the district is asked to wear the colors that represent the charity, for a small donation. We want our students to learn that a small gesture can make a huge difference in our community. This initiative makes them more aware of the issues in our own backyard and shows them how they can help, in hopes of becoming valuable contributors to society.

Click here to learn more about how you can donate!

Click here for a food assistance application.