Christmas. It’s the most wonderful time of the year, especially for students at Catholic schools. “The days leading up to Christmas are my favorite,” Madalyn Murphy, 8th grade, said. “We are preparing the way of the Lord and the best way to do that is to take care of those who need our help.”
Today was Advent Service day at Saint Joseph Catholic School, an annual day of giving and helping the less fortunate in the Fort Collins community and beyond.
“Each December we decide on various organizations to help,” Natalie Travis, 2nd grade teacher, said. “This year we adopted 12 local families who we are taking care of – with gifts that have been wrapped and tagged for each family member and gift cards to grocery stores.”
According to Shelly Randazzo, early childhood director, the preschool and pre-kindergarten classes adopted two families, including one with five children. “We collected more than $600 worth of gift cards to King Soopers and filled every wishlist item,” she said. “The generosity our students and school community has shown is amazing. It completely warms my heart.”
In addition, students collected books and money for a school in Kenya and wrote thank you letters to healthcare workers at Poudre Valley Hospital.
Over Thanksgiving, Saint Joseph 5th-graders spearheaded a food drive and provided more than 100 baskets of food to families in Northern Colorado.
“Community service is a cornerstone of a Catholic Education,” Nick Blanco, principal, said. “Our students are kind and compassionate and are really excited about helping to bring Christ to more neighbors at Christmas. We are proud of them.”
