The teaching assistants in the Newburgh schools help shape their students' hopes, dreams and aspirations, inside and outside the classroom.

These members of the teaching assistants chapter of the Newburgh Teachers Association see children having good days and bad. They hear many stories about their lives.

That contact with students brought their latest community project into focus — creating memory scrapbooks for families living in battered women's shelters.

Through more than a dozen two-hour work sessions, a group of SRP and student volunteers have been assembling the books to present to the families in the SAFE Home program, the local shelter.

"We've made 25 photo scrapbooks," said teaching assistant Theresa Brady-Lyden, all of which were distributed to SAFE Homes moms for Mother's Day. Brady-Lyden, who coordinated the project with colleagues Lori Rizzo and Maria Perez, said the idea came out of a discussion at a meeting of building reps.

"Every child we meet lives in our community," Brady-Lyden said. "If they see us contribute, it's a character education program in itself. It may not get a lot of recognition, but we know it makes a difference."

Each 20-page album is 8-by-8 inches, a manageable size for families who don't have many belongings and are looking for new, safe places to live. They're created ready for the families to paste in photos and mementos.

Nancy Gross, an assistant on her way to becoming a teacher, contributed Mary Kay lotions to be donated with each album.

The Newburgh SRP chapter is "always looking for ways to work together and help," Brady-Lyden said. They participate in the annual Making Strides against Breast Cancer walk and other fund-raising activities.

Sheila Manning is president of the chapter, which will take part this summer in NYSUT's Local Action Project, which helps unions build strong ties to their community.

"This local is a great example of digging deep roots in the community and having an impact," said NYSUT Vice President Kathleen Donahue. "Their generous spirit and activism benefit their students, schools and the entire community."

— Bernie Mulligan