New Jersey Students Empty Their Pockets For Charity

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork)-- Their pockets may not be full, but their hearts are. Students at Alfred E. Zampella School in Jersey City hold a coin drive every year, giving what little they may have to a good cause.

Teacher Karen McGin said she is more amazed each year by their generosity.

"This year we decided to raise money for CHARGE syndrome, a cause near and dear to our hearts because our own librarian's son has it," McGin explained.

CHARGE is a rare syndrome, affecting every 1 in about 10,000 births and resulting in a pattern of birth defects.

"We are just overwhelmed with the response," Cynthia Dabydeen, the school's librarian, told CBS2.

Students were shown a video of Kyle's progress. And so the collection began.

"We want to donate for CHARGE because kids could have a life-threatening disease,"  fourth-grader Julissa Otto said.

Some children even gave holiday money to the cause, like a student named Elvis who pitched in $50.

The sacrifices are far reaching.

"I want to give a shout-out to my dad, he gave money to me so I could give to the charity," said fourth-grader Ariana Tercero, who has a father serving in the army.

Students say the school is like a family, and a family supports their own.

"We try to teach the kids they have an obligation to give and to make the community a better place," Principal Dr. Joseph Galano said.

The students have already raised about $5,000 in just one week, exceeding their initial goal.