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By Aisha Gawad, Staff Writer  Two years ago, fourth grader Jonathan Difo had his picture taken. That photo, snapped outside a Brooklyn food bank, ended up on tops of taxi cabs in New York and Las Vegas, printed on pamphlets mailed out nationally, and as the poster image for a national non-profit.All of a sudden, Jonathan was a little famous. That year, Jonathan and other student leaders in the Penny Harvest at PS 7 decided to make a $150 grant to the Blessed Sacrament Food Pantry, and volunteered to bag food and supplies. Outside of the church, Jonathan posed for a simple yet striking photo. It shows the two main ingredients of the Penny Harvest: a child and a penny, and how when the two are combined, they are capable of doing extraordinary things. “The Penny Harvest taught me that there are needy people who don’t just need money but food, too,” Jonathan said. “It gives kids experience in helping others so they can keep on helping people when they grow up.” It turns out, however, that the Penny Harvest taught Jonathan a lot more than that.  Shortly after being nominated for PS 7’s “Caring Kids Roundtable” - the group of students who decide which charities and service projects to support with their Penny Harvest funds - Jonathan was suspended. He had a history of getting into trouble at school, which is precisely why his teacher Kelly Coscia nominated him for the program in the first place. She hoped the Penny Harvest would give him the boost he needed to succeed in school. “He stumbled a bit, and when he was suspended he was very upset about it,” said Coscia. “So he decided to build himself up and make his way back to the roundtable.”Jonathan’s desire to rejoin the Penny Harvest program gave him the incentive he needed to improve his grades, complete his homework, and participate in classroom life more. It seemed his teacher finally found what Jonathan needed: to feel like he was a part of something, where what he said and thought mattered and could actually make a difference. “Every year the Penny Harvest is an adventure,” said Susan Pavane, the Penny Harvest Coach at P.S. 7. “We never know where it’s going to take us.” Jonathan’s year was particularly special for Pavane because of the change she witnessed in him. Now, two years after Jonathan’s transformation, the photo became a defining image of both Common Cents and its corporate sponsor, Cole Haan. The photo was used in several promotional campaigns, including one where it was printed on the tops of taxi cabs. On Sept. 29, Common Cents visited PS 7 to present Jonathan with one of the taxi tops used in the campaign.  Jonathan’s mother, former teacher and principal as well as his current sixth grade teacher at IS 171 were present. The entire room strummed their fingers on the table in a drum roll as the taxi top was presented. Jonathan tried to suppress a shy smile, but as the drum roll ceased and the taxi top was revealed, his hesitant smile burst into a full-blown grin.Coscia wiped away tears during the presentation. “It’s just amazing how the Penny Harvest can really help a kid.” she said. With his taxi top, Jonathan now has an unexpected memento of that day at the food bank when, giving back to his community, he finally found a place where his voice mattered. Coscia kissed Jonathan on the top of his head. “You remember to come back and visit me, okay?” she said. He nodded his head and gave that same shy smile again. Coscia gave Pavane a hug on her way out. “Sometimes we do good,” she said. |
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