ALBANY, N.Y. Oct. 19, 2017 — New York State United Teachers has directed a $50,000 check — money raised through small, individual donations from educators — to provide aid to educators in hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico, NYSUT President Andy Pallotta said today.
Pallotta said that, since August, NYSUT members and affiliated local unions have contributed more than $100,000 to NYSUT’s Disaster Relief Fund and fundraising is ongoing. The money is being used to benefit fellow union members hit hardest by Hurricane Harvey in Texas and hurricanes Irma and Maria, which devastated parts of Florida and destroyed much of Puerto Rico last month.
“This is what unions do. We stand together and work collectively for the good of our members and the good of our communities,” Pallotta said. “New York educators are giving generously and saying to their colleagues in Puerto Rico, ‘We are with you. Do not despair. We have not forgotten you.’ We are proud to be doing this work.”
NYSUT’s $50,000 check will be used to provide grants to help members of the Asociacion de Maestros de Puerto Rico (AMPR) recover in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. NYSUT has already sent $50,000 in donations from individual members to help victims of Hurricane Harvey.
NYSUT’s Disaster Relief Fund has, in the past, contributed to victims of Superstorm Sandy; hurricanes Lee and Irene; and to earthquake victims in Haiti.
Follow updates on NYSUT disaster relief efforts at www.nysut.org/disasterrelief.
New York State United Teachers is a statewide union with more than 600,000 members in education, human services and health care. NYSUT is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers, the National Education Association and the AFL-CIO.
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