Students learn service through holidays
Hey savvy news reader! Thanks for choosing local.
You are now reading
1 of 3 free articles.
ST. IGNATIUS — A week before Christmas, 23 St. Ignatius Middle School students went on a Walmart shopping spree. But they were buying gifts for people they’d never met, and according to their teachers, it isn’t too often you see kids so excited about helping others.
The students are part of Dogs With Wings, a Christmas project started by teachers Dorothy VonHoltum and Valerie Umphrey several years ago to get Mission middle-schoolers involved with Share the Spirit, a local organization that collects donations of gifts for children from low-income families. Starting in November, students gather greenery from the forest and then work for a few weeks to make crafts such as Christmas wreaths, Yule logs, pinecone reindeer, jewelry and snowman doorstops. The crafts are sold at school sporting events and bazaars, and students take the proceeds to buy gifts for children whose names are on the Share the Spirit “angel trees.”
The group usually spends about $50 on each gift, but kids are allowed to spend more if a child requested something specific for Christmas like a new bicycle or larger item. This year, Dogs With Wings bought presents for 17 local children, VonHoltum said.
“We had a great season … the kids all enjoyed it, and I think it was a great learning experience for them,” teacher Dorothy VonHoltum said.
And following their visit to Walmart, students brightened the holiday season even further with stops at Mill Pond and Closer to Home nursing homes in St. Ignatius, where they sang Christmas carols for residents.
