Life Without A Fibula: Have You Seen What's Happened in Just ONE Week?

I don't know how many of you are aware of a social media miracle that happened in just over one week.

I follow the account Humans of New York on both Facebook and Instagram. In this account, a photographer named Brandon photographs people on the street and tells their stories. It's pretty unique, and pretty interesting: "New York City, one story at a time."

On January 19, 2015, Humans of New York posted a picture of a boy asking who is the person who has influenced him the most in his life. He told about his principal, Ms. Lopez.

Here's an outline of the last week for Mott Hall Bridges Academy- keep in mind today's date while reading this:

January 19: First post about Vidal and Mott Hall Bridges Academy
January 22: Decide to start a fundraiser for trip to Harvard every year for students (goal on fundraiser website says $100,000)
January 23: $365,000 hit."...this is the most warm hearted group of people on the internet." Anything raised beyond $350,000 (ten years of Harvard trips) will go toward a summer program costing $40,000 per summer
January 26: $700,000 hit. Funds over this amount will go toward a scholarship fund for graduates of Mott Hall Bridges Academy.

And for the total, as of 9:02 a.m. on January 28, 2015 (with NINE days left of the fundraiser)....
$877,916! And counting. How incredible, right?

Some facts about this fundraiser:

Current running time: 5.5 days. Total current amount: $874,916.

Average amount donated per day: $159,075.

Total amount of donations: 29,255. Total current amount: $874,916.
Average amount per donation: $29.90 (not that much out of the budget!)

In just five days, "these donations have provided funding for ten years worth of Harvard trips, and ten years worth of summer programs.".... plus the start of a scholarship fund.

Blown. Away.

To best portray the full story, I've taken screenshots of seven posts directly from the Humans of New York Instagram account, with the caption of the photo written underneath. To check out all the pictures from this story, check out the Instagram account itself.

[Some housekeeping: All pictures and captions that follow the specific picture are taken directly from the Instagram account entitled Humans of New York, unless otherwise noted. I do not take credit for anything said from the account, I'm just portraying this story to you.]

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On January 19, 2015, Humans of New York posted:

"Who's influenced you the most in your life?"
"My principal, Ms. Lopez."
"How has she influenced you?"
"When we get in trouble, she doesn't suspend us. She calls us to her office and explains to us how society was built down around us. And she tells us that each time somebody fails out of school, a new jail cell gets built. And one time she made every student stand up, one at a time, and she told each one of us that we matter."

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January 22, 2015

I spent yesterday afternoon in a brainstorming session with Ms. Lopez and her assistant principal Ms. Achu, trying to think of creative ways that the HONY community could help further the vision of Mott Hall Bridges Academy. Our discussion covered many needs, but we kept returning to one in particular-- the limited horizons of disadvantaged youth. Ms. Lopez’s school is situated in a neighborhood with the highest crime rate in New York, and many of her scholars have very limited mobility. Some of them are very much ‘stuck’ in their neighborhood. And many have never left the city. “It can be very difficult for them to dream beyond what they know,” Ms. Lopez explained.
So the three of us struck on an idea. (OK, it was Ms. Achu’s idea, but we all agreed.) We want to create a fund that will provide each incoming 6th grade class at Mott Hall Bridges Academy a chance to get out of their neighborhood and visit a new place. And that place is Harvard University. “I want every child who enters my school to know that they can go anywhere, and that they will belong,” said Ms. Lopez.

So we’re going to try to make it happen! Let’s help this visionary educator enrich the lives of her students.
Please consider donating. Link in bio.

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January 22, 2015

A couple days back, I posted the portrait of a young man who described an influential principal in his life by the name of Ms. Lopez. Yesterday I was fortunate to meet Ms. Lopez at her school, Mott Hall Bridges Academy. “This is a neighborhood that doesn’t necessarily expect much from our children, so at Mott Hall Bridges Academy we set our expectations very high. We don’t call the children ‘students,’ we call them ‘scholars.’ Our color is purple. Our scholars wear purple and so do our staff. Because purple is the color of royalty. I want my scholars to know that even if they live in a housing project, they are part of a royal lineage going back to great African kings and queens. They belong to a group of individuals who invented astronomy and math. And they belong to a group of individuals who have endured so much history and still overcome. When you tell people you’re from Brownsville, their face cringes up. But there are children here that need to know that they are expected to succeed.”

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January 23, 2015

The note included with the flowers:
"Thank You For Being An Inspiration To Your School And Community.
Keep Doing Amazing Work With Your Scholars. You're
Simply Amazing. -A Fan Of Humans Of New York"

Just came back from a quick meeting with Ms. Lopez at Mott Hall Bridges Academy, so we could discuss how to make the most impact with the amazing success of our fundraiser so far. ($365,000!) There was a wonderful energy in the school today, everyone was beyond thrilled and overwhelmed by your generosity. My favorite part of the day was when I walked into Ms. Lopez's office, and discovered that some of you had taken it upon yourselves to send her bouquets of flowers. I've said it before-- this is the most warm hearted group of people on the internet.

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January 23, 2015

We've raised enough money in 24 hours to make the Harvard trip a permanent part of the MHBA curriculum. With two weeks left in the fundraiser, I sat down with Ms. Lopez today to learn the best way that we could continue to help her secure a bright future for her students. “We have a major need for a summer program,” she explained. “Learning stops during the summer for my scholars. We have what is called a ‘summer slide.’ My scholars can’t even go outside. It’s too dangerous. As an exercise, my teachers broke into small groups and took a walk through the community. We wanted to understand how our students live. We went inside the housing projects. The parks and playgrounds were empty because it’s too dangerous. Even the library isn’t a safe zone. Just last Saturday, one of my scholars had two guns pulled on him while he was walking to the community center. In broad daylight. It’s just too dangerous to be outside, so my scholars stay inside all summer. They aren’t learning to ride horses or drive boats, and they certainly aren’t traveling. They miss out on the enrichment available to children from more affluent neighborhoods. They need a safe place where they can do activities and continue to grow their minds. I tried to put together a program last summer, but I couldn’t afford it. I couldn’t really put together any activities, and I could only use teachers-in-training. I need the funds to put together a program with my own teachers so my students have a safe place where they can continue to grow outside of school.” Ms. Lopez estimates that an effective summer program will cost about $40,000 a year. So every $40,000 beyond the $350,000 we’ve already raised will provide another “safe and productive summer “ for the students at Mott Hall Bridges Academy.

If you hadn’t already donated, please consider helping us continue to empower this visionary educator in her quest to transform her school and community. Link in bio.

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January 24, 2015

I only had a few minutes to speak with Ms. Lopez yesterday because she was hosting a conference for the district’s principals. (Because that’s the kind of thing Ms. Lopez does.) Attending the conference was Ms. Mauriciere de Govia, the superintendent of Brownsville’s school district, who was kind enough to speak with me for a few minutes in a quiet stairwell. I asked for her opinion on Ms. Lopez: “Nadia is fearless. When she says that every kid can learn, she means it. And not only does she mean it, she puts systems in place to make it happen. It all begins with high expectations. When students arrive at this school, many of them are very behind. But Nadia sets high expectations on every one. She never says: ‘This student lives in the shelter so he deserves a break.” Or ‘Because of his parents, this student can’t be expected to keep up.’ She says: ‘This is how we do things here, and there is no sidestepping.’” ------------------------------------------ We are currently profiling Mott Hall Bridges Academy, a very special middle school in a very tough part of Brooklyn. As we learn about the school and its inspiring leader, Principal Lopez, we are also raising funds to help leverage its impact on the community. Please consider donating. Link in bio.

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January 26, 2015

I asked Vidal if I could photograph him in the same place that I met him for this next announcement. In only four days, we’ve raised over $700,000 for Vidal’s classmates at Mott Hall Bridges Academy. Nearly 25,000 of you have made a donation. Taken together, these donations have provided funding for ten years worth of Harvard trips, and ten years worth of summer programs. Your donations have given a heavy boost to a group of scholars and educators in their battle to establish a culture of success in a disadvantaged neighborhood. There was an assembly today where the full impact of the fundraiser was explained to all of the students, and it was quite emotional. (But more on that later.) I wanted to announce that all funds raised over $700,000 will be reserved for a final purpose. We are starting a scholarship fund available to the graduates of Mott Hall Bridges Academy. A committee of MHBA educators and administrators will choose the recipients each year. We’re going to use the money from our campaign to get the fund started, but we’re also going to lay tracks so that it can continue to assist scholars for years to come. It will be called The Vidal Scholarship Fund. And the first recipient will be Vidal himself. If you’d like to contribute, please click on the link in the bio.

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How neat is this?

There are good people in this world. Sometimes with all the bad we see in the news, the good gets pushed aside and people, myself included, forget the little things that happen everyday. This story is more than a fundraiser, more than photography, more than popular social media. This story shows the value of education, hope, love, unity, and selflessness. Thank you to Vidal, Ms. Lopez, Brandon from Humans of New York, and everyone who does good for their fellow men.

Thanks for all you do to make this world a better place.