(December 23, 2005 - Rochester D&C) — An entire city school received the gift of warmth Thursday as the combined efforts of several groups came to fruition. More than 530 students at School 22 on Zimbrich Street received new winter coats, hats, gloves and scarves, and at least 200 of them received books and blankets, thanks to the efforts of the organization Buddies, Bridges and Brains, the Scott Spino Foundation and the students and staff of the Victor school district. Pre-kindergartners Myrna Vega, in her sky blue coat and blue hat, and Nasir Stevenson, in a navy blue coat, smiled as they tried on their new outerwear. "Look at mine!" Myrna told teacher Joanne Shannon. "Are we going outside to play in the snow? Can I keep it on?" Nasir asked. They were just two of about a dozen delighted kids in teacher Grace Bilodeau's basement classroom.Happiness abounded upstairs, too, as classes of students in grades K-6 were led into the gymnasium to pick up their winter gear. With a full day of book reading and clothing giveaways planned, by 10:30 a.m. principal T'Hani Pantoja was pleased.

"We're ahead of schedule," she said, smiling at Karen Guidarelli, executive director of the not-for-profit Buddies, Bridges and Brains. "We picked the school because it only had one collaborating partner at the time," Guidarelli said about her choice to help School 22 three years ago. "They didn't have a lot of money." With her help, the Victor school district adopted School 22. Fundraising car washes, dinners and cash donations enabled a group of Victor students to provide more than 200 blankets and hundreds of children's books. Angela Perrotto, assistant superintendent in Victor, read The Mitten , by Jan Brett, to the pre-kindergarten students. "Giving is really what it's all about," Guidarelli said. "That was really why we started the project. Kids in suburban communities don't get to see that poverty isn't across the globe, it's next door." In the gymnasium, Jerry and Geri Spino, the parents of former School 22 teacher and coach Scott Spino, who was killed by a drunk driver in 2004, were proud to see the goal of the Scott Spino Foundation's first "Keeping Kids Warm" project being fulfilled. "It's strictly for the kids," said Jerry Spino. "We want to continue his legacy. The community helping is just a wonderful thing."

"I feel that words cannot capture how overwhelmed we are," Geri Spino said. "To enhance the lives of children in our community is our goal. We want to continue and grow this for the community. We want everyone to live a life that matters." Clinton Bell, School 22's assistant principal, walked between classrooms and the gym to ensure things were running smoothly. He said the gifts of warmth will help the children. "The spirit of giving is really like therapy — therapy for the kids, therapy for us," Bell said. "When you give, you feel better. "(And) we feel pretty good about it. It really makes the kids' spirits feel better." Gary McLendon Staff writer Rochester D&C