Mark Grashow, a former school teacher, teamed up with the United Muslim Relief Organization to raise money and collect supplies to be sent to refugee camps.
His organisation, Students Taking Action for Relief, is a coalition of around 50 schools committed to helping Syrian refugees.
Grashow said it is not just about gathering aid, but also teaching US children to think critically and empathetically about the lives of refugees.
The US has drastically reduced the number of refugees admitted into the country under the Trump administration, accepting only about a dozen from Syria so far this year.
Al Jazeera's Kristen Saloomey reports from New York.
