DYS students learn about giving to others

Students at Donald Young School in Emo are beginning the start of the Christmas season by learning about giving and sharing with others less fortunate than themselves through two particular programs—filling Christmas shoeboxes and collecting money for World Vision.
“I had done it a few years with different groups and I thought it would be neat for the kids of the school to get involved, and see how they could give and share and make a difference in the world,” parent Lori Shortreed said of the Samaritan’s Purse program.
“They are going to be helping these kids who otherwise wouldn’t experience the joy of a Christmas gift,” she added.
Shortreed noted her goal was to fill 10 shoeboxes with items donated from families at the school—and they ended up filling 13.
And some families chose to donate money because each shoebox required $7 to help cover the cost of shipping.
“I was really pleased with the generosity of the parents and families at the school,” she stressed. “I think that was great. And these boxes are full—they are jam-packed.”
Shortreed had provided a list of things families should and should not include. Over the course of two weeks, the students brought different items into school and then on Thursday, those students wishing to help packed all the shoeboxes.
“We tried to include things that would be beneficial health-wise for the kids,” she remarked. “Every box got at least two toothbrushes and toothpaste, and some soap.
“We also had a category of school supplies,” she added. “There were pencil crayons, markers, crayons, pencils, pens, erasers—that type of thing—along with colouring books, funpads, stickers, and other things kids could really use their imagination with and have some fun with.”
Other items included bouncy balls, skipping ropes, dolls, toy cars, socks, hats, and stuffed animals.
The students who wanted to participate during their second nutrition break last Thursday were divided into groups, and were able to select items to send to children aged two-12 who wouldn’t receive a gift otherwise.
“The kids were really pleased they had an opportunity to help,” Shortreed enthused. “They were excited. I think it went really well and I hope we can do it again next year.”
Students also had made Christmas cards or letters which were included, as well as a copy of a picture of all the kids who helped packed the boxes.
“So the kids who are opening them could see these kids from Canada who helped,” Shortreed explained, noting the boxes head all over the world—basically to any country where the children have been devastated by war, poverty, or a natural disaster.
“I was talking with the kids as we were packing it up about where these gifts might end up,” she continued. “That they would be sent by airplane probably, then by maybe ship and then maybe a jeep, bus, or train.
“Some of them might even journey on the back of a donkey or walked across the mountain range to reach these children in remote areas.
“They thought that it was pretty neat that this little box from Emo was going to go that far.”
These were the same boxes which could be picked up from Safeway to fill.
Shortreed noted the shoeboxes were delivered back to Safeway on Friday, where they would be sent to a warehouse and then distributed all over the world from there.
“It was good for these kids to understand a little bit about the world and that there are kids who live in places that aren’t so fortunate as they are in Canada and in Emo,” Shortreed stressed.
Meanwhile, Grade 1 teacher Diane Carlson is collecting money for the World Vision program. She noted she has done this in her own classroom for a couple of years, but brought it forward as a whole school project.
“We put it out there to the staff and everyone agreed it was a good thing, so we decided to go with that,” she explained. “We sent out a general letter informing parents what we were doing and asked if they’d like to make donations to send them in.”
Carlson noted one sponsorship option is to provide a school with school supplies, which is what she’d like to do.
“We take it for granted that when we need a pencil, we just go ask the teacher for a pencil or mom and dad and we get it,” she remarked. “We thought it would be good to talk to the students about how short these kids are on school supplies and basic necessities.”
Carlson has asked each classroom teacher to discuss this with their students and encourage them to bring in funds to share.
She also noted a new part of the program this year has corporate sponsors matching the money by 11 times, saying if they collect $50, they would actually get $550.
“I didn’t set a goal because its the first year with the whole school,” Carlson said. “Last year my goal was $50 in my classroom and we exceed that by a few dollars.
‘But I’m not sure what to expect this year.”
DYS will be collecting funds for World Vision until the first week of December.