“Dear Santa.” Those two words bring back cherished childhood memories—the anticipation of dolls, bikes and presents under the Christmas tree. For sure, that’s a thrill never forgotten. But some lucky Dallas youths are learning the joy of giving as well as getting, during the Christmas season.
At St. John’s Episcopal School, 848 Harter Road in Dallas, students as young as Pre-K age collected teddy bears to donate to the Northeast Police Substation. Officers carry the bears in their cars and use them to comfort young victims.
It can be very stressful or frightening for small children to encounter police officers, especially if the officer is responding to a call at the child's home. Having a teddy bear with them can make the officers seem more approachable and friendly, and can help comfort the child.
The collected teddy bears accompanied the students to school where they were blessed during morning chapel by Father David Houk. Following the blessing, the children delivered their “teddy bear offering” to an awaiting squad car parked in front of the school.
A group of older students attended a “pizza and packing party” benefiting Operation Christmas Child. Hosted by St. John’s sixth grader Sunny Cartwright and her parents, Jeff and Jeannie, the students enjoyed pizza while they packed boxes of goodies to send to children in Haiti and India.
The packages were filled with toiletries and other items such as pens, pencils, paper, puzzles, games, stuffed animals, candy, etc. Each student put his or her picture in a Christmas card and wrote a personal message to include in the packages. With over 40 participants, the students were able to send 45 packages to those countries in need. When the project was completed, they celebrated with music and dancing.
When asked what they enjoyed most about giving, feeling good about oneself and making a difference was a priority with this group.
“I feel great when I give to other people because I feel like God wants me to make someone else’s Christmas good,” Cambridge Bender said.
It sounds like these youngsters deserved that pizza party.
Pies have come into play with another group of young people and their role in making a difference during the holidays.
A tradition at Central Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) located at 4711 Westside Drive in Dallas is the annual “making of the holiday pies.”
In the church’s kitchen, dough is rolled, crimped, filled and baked, giving young people the opportunity to learn pie-making skills from the Disciple Women’s group—as well as a lesson in the joy of giving. The finished pies— about 40 or 50—- are boxed-up and taken by the kids to the Austin Street Shelter, which serves the homeless in downtown Dallas.
The Shelter feeds 200 to 300 people daily at lunch and more than 400 for dinner. Lottie Price, Volunteer and Donation Coordinator at Austin Street said the people served by the shelter are extremely grateful to have fresh pies during the holidays. This is “something special made just for them,” Price said. “One little overture can make a huge difference in a life.”
“One of our desires at Central Christian Church is to give people the opportunity to serve their community in ways they couldn't do alone,” Co-Senior Pastor Dr. Debbie Chisolm said. “We have an industrial size kitchen and the means to gather what's needed to bake dozens of pies for those in need. Joining with friends makes the work feel like fun and the joy of serving is multiplied.”
These are all great gifts! And these are lucky children to be learning the true meaning of Christmas