Project Christmas: The True Spirit of the Season
Project Christmas: The True Spirit of the Season
Annual Ellicottville Central School Holiday Fundraiser Continues to Assist Our Local Community During the Holidays
This is the season of celebration. People coming together over a huge meal, making merry, opening gifts and sharing the joy with your friends and family. But for some, that joy is overshadowed by the burdens of regular life. With bills on the rise and inflation adding to the situation, some families do not have the ability to provide gifts to their children during the holidays. But do not fret, this isn’t a sad story, this is a Christmas tale and it has a happy ending. The Ellicottville Central School’s Project Christmas is here to help.
The program was started long ago by the school nurse at the time, Betty Westfall. She noticed some of the students weren’t that excited about the upcoming holidays and realized their families may not be in a position to celebrate. So she came up with the idea that the school could help anonymously. The spirit continued when Mrs. Shirley Morton, the High School Secretary, took over as Chairperson of the Project. Mrs. Morton retired years ago and the Project was then handled through a committee of school workers, with the bulk of the work being handled through the Nurse’s office.
Nurse Karin Hager, who is spearheading the Project currently, let us know that the program helps out over 30 local families. How is a family added to the list? “Families are added through confidential staff recommendations. We don’t bring attention to the students who will be receiving donations when our ECS elf makes the deliveries. It’s our practice to make sure those who are being helped, get to enjoy the holiday both peacefully and privately, like everyone else.”
What can those families on the list expect to receive? Well, each student has 2 tags for clothing (a pair of pants/a shirt). Santa’s helpers in the past have also been known to give gift cards, coats and toys. It is up to the “helper” as to what extra gifts they may purchase. Who are the helpers? You could be one of them!
Gift tags to purchase clothing or extra gifts for a child are available around the village at Dina's, Villaggio, M&T Bank, Holy Name of Mary Church, St. Paul’s Lutheran Church and the Baptist Church in Great Valley. Wrapped gifts with the tag on the outside should be returned to the business where the tag was picked up. The committee will be picking up the gifts mid-December. Monetary donations are also welcomed and can be sent to Project Christmas c/o Karin Hager, RN Ellicottville Central School, 5873 Route 219 Ellicottville, NY 14731.
So if you are in a good place this year and want to help someone who may be in a tough spot right now, consider stopping in at one of the above-mentioned locations and picking up a tag or two and be a family's secret Santa this Christmas.
And Project Christmas doesn’t end after the holiday is over. It keeps the spirit of the season all year. Nurse Hager said, “Project Christmas also watches over our students and their families during the remainder of the year for when an urgent need arises in their family. Project Christmas offers assistance in many ways besides gifts during the holidays.”
“The hope is for the Project to continue as long as there is a need in our school community. The Ellicottville Community has always been very generous in helping others and the Project Christmas Committee is very appreciative of their thoughtfulness.” Nurse Hager stated.
So take the opportunity, if you can, and help share the spirit of the season by anonymously assisting a family in our community by donating to Project Christmas before the middle of December. There’s still time to make the season bright for someone who might a little help lighting up the holidays!