I know most of you see my updates on Facebook, but just in case there's a few of you out there who haven't....
Thank you.
Please take a minute to watch and share the Christmas Drive 2014 video...
I couldn't be more sincere when I tell you: This year was
unprecedented. So many of you donated, collected items, sent money for
glasses, paid for clothes and shoes, held drives to raise money for
books, bought toys out of your own meager paychecks, made Goodwill
trips, sent cash to a family of 8 who had nothing, bought hundreds of
children blankets and socks and toys, gave stuffed animals, forwarded my
plea for help to all your family and friends, sent toothbrushes,
mittens, hats, scarves, backpacks, coats, and even...a Christmas tree
for a family who didn't have one. Clothes for a foster family who was
living in their car.
This list is by no means complete, but
please believe me when I tell you that I can't even write this meager
"Thank You" without some tears because...YOU created a spirit and love
and joy in the hearts of hundreds....HUNDREDS...of children and their
families. You saw a need, you acted, and I humbly thank you.
As the memories of our own Christmas' fade away and all we are left with
are the pictures...I hope a few of the images in this movie will stay
with you all the year through. I hope a few of the smiles in the
toothless grins gives you a boost on a day you're needing it most. I
hope the sound of the squeals when the kids realized they got pajamas is
a sound you carry with you all throughout the year.
I know I will. From the bottom of my heart: Thank You. I am blessed to know each and every one of you.
Monday, January 26, 2015
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
Dear Santa...I'm not sure if you're real, but if you are....
Hello all my friends and family,
Please take a minute to read a few unedited
excerpts from the letters my students wrote yesterday:
“Dear Santa, I would like to wear warm pjamas because it is going to be cold.”
“Dear Santa, I really please need more jeans because I
always have to wear my sisters jeans and I would be so excited for a pare of my
own.”
“Dear Santa, I really need winter close because I don’t have
any winter close all my shirts are short.”
“Dear Santa, I want globs and hats and a new nonfiction book
so I can read and lern.”
“Dear Santa, I want a video game becaue my TV is brokn and
we won’t fix it soon and I have nothing to do at my house and I want some new
warm socks it was cold last week and I only have 1 set of socks.”
“Dear Santa, My family needs food since the only food is
from the store with the long lines and we do not get as much as we need so I
eat a lot of food at school.”
“Dear Santa, My little brother needs new boots because my
mom dose not have enofe money to by them.
He also needs glassez. Please
Santa, please give him these things.”
“Dear Santa, I don’t think you are real becauz my sister
said we were not having Christmas presents this year but if you are real that
would mak me and my sister so so happy becauz we really need warm cool clothez.”
I could continue, but I’m pretty
sure you get the gist…
I work in a very impoverished school district. At last count, my school is over 95% free and reduced lunch, and our annual residential turnover (how quickly kids come and go) is 36%. (which means kids are constantly moving, staying with relatives, switching schools, etc…)
I work in a very impoverished school district. At last count, my school is over 95% free and reduced lunch, and our annual residential turnover (how quickly kids come and go) is 36%. (which means kids are constantly moving, staying with relatives, switching schools, etc…)
My second grade class are a lively
bunch of 8 year olds who have a wide range of talents and challenges between
them. We have 10 boys and 10 girls who
to put it bluntly, need the bare necessities for Christmas and the winter
season that is coming. One of my kiddos
lives with a foster family of 10. Another family has 6 of the smartest,
sweetest, and most polite girls you’ve ever seen, but they struggle just to buy
them shoes. Most of my kids are constantly asking for “more breakfast please”
and they tend to save some of the snacks we get to take home to their siblings.
Whenever we serve fruit for snacks, they always grab some to take home to be
sure they have a snack later. The school provides free breakfast and lunch that
we serve every day and for some of my students this is the only time they even
get to eat. One of my boys has a brother in jail and he says he’s saving up his
change so he can go visit him someday, and the vast majority of my kids don't
have enough books, pencils, paper or even crayons at home to do their homework.
One little boy told me last week that instead of having extra recess for his
reward for doing a good job, could he please have a box of crayons for his
house because he’s always wanted a box.
Another little boy told me he couldn’t come to school last week when it
was cold because he only has one hoodie and he was embarrassed to wear it to
school. I dug through Maelin’s old
things last week and I was able to give a little girl one of Maelin’s old coats
and she sits in class now and wears it.
She’s so excited and proud to finally have a coat and she doesn’t want
to take it off.
It's not that all of the parents are deadbeats
or don't care: I've met all my parents and most of them are devoted to their
kids and passionate that their kids MAKE IT: they want their kids to rise above
their situation and become better than they themselves have it.
This is my 9th year
helping to provide a little bit of holiday cheer for my class, the 2nd
grade, and with your help, the entire school and it is the absolute highlight
of my year. Words can’t describe the joy
I feel when 2 years later, I see younger brothers and sisters running around
the playground wearing a coat you donated 4 years ago. Or when a parent comes in to thank me and
give me a hug in broken Spanish to tell me that without the boots you sent,
their child would have to walk to the bus stop every day with holes in their
shoes. Or the happiness that we see when
a child holds on to the one Christmas present you sent because she wants to
take it home and open it there as she knows it will be the only one she
receives this year. Or the feeling that
someone cares about them when I’m able to give a family a gift card that you
sent to buy a turkey for their Christmas dinner. Or watching a child walk down
the hall with new jeans, or a new sweater and not having to keep their hands in
their pants to hold them up because the only pair they have is too big and they
don’t have a belt. Or the pride in the 8 year old’s eyes when he zips up his
new coat to go outside to play soccer with his friends for the first time. Or
watching children squeal and run around on the playground all bundled up with
new hats and gloves and with the spring in their step that you put there for
possibly the first time. Or a grandmother
of 4 girls that I had continually over the years coming back to give me a hug
and tell me that without our help, her grandchildren that she’s struggling to
provide for would not have had a Christmas for years. Or the outpouring of gifts, money, food, clothes,
and love from all over the world you gave to my student and his family who was
suffering from a brain tumor and had to ride around in a stroller at 9 years
old because his single mom couldn’t afford a wheelchair. Or the 25 handmade
quilts that were sent so each child in my room could cuddle under a warm
blanket when a few of them shared towels that were used for that purpose. I
could keep going, but I want to make sure that you know that you have made all
of that and so much more possible over the years, and again, I’m asking for
your help.
This year, I’m hoping to again
provide at least one present for the entire second grade of 98 children. Instead of asking for any and all donations,
I instead am asking for two small things that will make their holiday just a
little bit brighter and will remind them that despite the circumstances they
were born into, there are people out there that care about them and want them
to succeed. I would love to be able to
get two things for all the second graders in my school: a new pair of pajamas,
and a new book at their reading level.
This may sound small to you, but please believe me that even a new pair
of pj’s and a book from a stranger will be just the boost kiddos need to remind
them there’s a big world out there with people who care about them. I will also be making sure every child in my
room has decent shoes, coats, socks, and clothes to get them through the winter
which can be bitter and even one pair of new socks can make a huge difference.
As always, we are in desperate need
of socks, underwear, coats, hats, gloves, and gently used clothing for most
kids in the entire school in every range of sizes and styles. Many children have siblings that are also in
desperate need of help, and anything you send will find its way to good
use. If you’d like to contribute
anything at all, please send Target Gift
Cards in any amount to:
Mara Kimling
c/o Alsup Elementary School
7101 Birch Street
Commerce City, CO
80022
I will make sure every child
receives a gift for Christmas and the children and families who are desperate
get their needs met. I will need all
donations at my school by Friday, December 12, 2014 so I have time to get
everything wrapped and distributed by the holiday break. As I know most
of you reading this have forwarded, collected, donated, helped with organization, created videos, visited, and had their
companies match their donations over the years, I’d like to end this letter
with a link to watch what YOU were able to help me accomplish last year. I thank you in advance for the love and
generosity and spirit you show to these kiddos.
Please believe me, it lives in all of our hearts for years.
Ms. Mara Kimling
Please click here
to watch the 3 minute video of what we have done together. I promise you, it’s worth your time.
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Christmas Drive Video 2013
"You had told me about this drive, but oh my goodness...I can't believe this! This is incredible!" --Mr. Mike Abdale, Alsup Principal
There were moments our new principal who had never seen this before was speechless. Standing still, his eyes chock full of tears as he watched package after package delivered to the office. Person after person coming to the building loaded with gifts, clothes, food, toiletries, books, and even money for us to distribute amongst the students and their families. The Air Force coming in droves with stacks of presents. A family driving all the way down from Wyoming to deliver boxes and boxes. A church donating money. Hundreds of normal, everyday people who received my blog or email and decided to act. Decided to send anything from a $5 gift card, to school supplies, to hundreds of dollars for new pajamas. As the gifts kept pouring in, my principal became even more silent. He finally said through his tears, "There's just not enough thanks I could say that would convey just how much we appreciate this."
I agreed with him and told him I would try. So here's my attempt to show you just what it was like in a small elementary school in Commerce City the week before Christmas...
Stockings stuffed full of gifts for 1st and 2nd graders created and paid for by two teenagers from Boulder. They delivered them themselves and passed them out to squealing 6 and 7 year olds to cries of, "I've never had my OWN stocking before!" Brand-new coats delivered anonymously which I passed out to kiddos who had been showing up in the sub-zero temperatures in hoodies. Their mothers called me the next day with tears of gratitude. The Air Force organized their own gift drive and came with brand new toys, books, socks, mittens, and coats for the entire 2nd grade...all 96 of them. I heard a few kids exclaim, "This is the best day of my life!" and "I'm taking this home and putting it back under the tree so I have presents on Christmas!" The student council from Merino High School which is a 4 hour drive away came in Santa hats to give gifts, hugs, and joy. Hand-sewn warm, fleece blankets were delivered for every kiddo in my class. You would never imagine the amount of joy something simple like a blanket brings, but it was there. Boxes and boxes of new grade level books arrived and the kids paraded through my classroom to pick out the ones they wanted. Brand-new shoes, pants, and clothes for students who were in desperate need of them. Bags of school supplies for the kids to take home so they can finally get their homework done. A pair of new pajamas for every kid in 2nd grade. We had a record attendance that night for our Christmas Music Program and every kid wore their new pjs and were so excited and proud. And finally...a new Christmas tree for a family who had finally gotten out of the homeless shelter into their own apartment and just couldn't manage a tree for their family. Thanks to you...they got one. A new 7 foot, prelighted tree that they can use year after year and be reminded that hard work and struggle will pay off...because there are people like you that care.
As Mr. Abdale said, there just isn't enough thanks in the world to convey what your actions created here. It's a feeling of spirit, of caring, of giving, of the goodness that is in all of us that just isn't talked about enough. All of you...ALL of you helped create that for hundreds of students and their families. By working extra hours, by coordinating with your companies, by forwarding my email, by making sure you were part of the help and not waiting for someone else to step in, you all created this. Thank you isn't enough, but it's what I have. So...thank you.
Please enjoy the following photo video. Hopefully it will give you some insight into what your action created. I am so blessed to be a part of it as it lives in my heart not just during Christmas, but throughout the entire year.
Thank you.
2013 Christmas Drive Video
There were moments our new principal who had never seen this before was speechless. Standing still, his eyes chock full of tears as he watched package after package delivered to the office. Person after person coming to the building loaded with gifts, clothes, food, toiletries, books, and even money for us to distribute amongst the students and their families. The Air Force coming in droves with stacks of presents. A family driving all the way down from Wyoming to deliver boxes and boxes. A church donating money. Hundreds of normal, everyday people who received my blog or email and decided to act. Decided to send anything from a $5 gift card, to school supplies, to hundreds of dollars for new pajamas. As the gifts kept pouring in, my principal became even more silent. He finally said through his tears, "There's just not enough thanks I could say that would convey just how much we appreciate this."
I agreed with him and told him I would try. So here's my attempt to show you just what it was like in a small elementary school in Commerce City the week before Christmas...
Stockings stuffed full of gifts for 1st and 2nd graders created and paid for by two teenagers from Boulder. They delivered them themselves and passed them out to squealing 6 and 7 year olds to cries of, "I've never had my OWN stocking before!" Brand-new coats delivered anonymously which I passed out to kiddos who had been showing up in the sub-zero temperatures in hoodies. Their mothers called me the next day with tears of gratitude. The Air Force organized their own gift drive and came with brand new toys, books, socks, mittens, and coats for the entire 2nd grade...all 96 of them. I heard a few kids exclaim, "This is the best day of my life!" and "I'm taking this home and putting it back under the tree so I have presents on Christmas!" The student council from Merino High School which is a 4 hour drive away came in Santa hats to give gifts, hugs, and joy. Hand-sewn warm, fleece blankets were delivered for every kiddo in my class. You would never imagine the amount of joy something simple like a blanket brings, but it was there. Boxes and boxes of new grade level books arrived and the kids paraded through my classroom to pick out the ones they wanted. Brand-new shoes, pants, and clothes for students who were in desperate need of them. Bags of school supplies for the kids to take home so they can finally get their homework done. A pair of new pajamas for every kid in 2nd grade. We had a record attendance that night for our Christmas Music Program and every kid wore their new pjs and were so excited and proud. And finally...a new Christmas tree for a family who had finally gotten out of the homeless shelter into their own apartment and just couldn't manage a tree for their family. Thanks to you...they got one. A new 7 foot, prelighted tree that they can use year after year and be reminded that hard work and struggle will pay off...because there are people like you that care.
As Mr. Abdale said, there just isn't enough thanks in the world to convey what your actions created here. It's a feeling of spirit, of caring, of giving, of the goodness that is in all of us that just isn't talked about enough. All of you...ALL of you helped create that for hundreds of students and their families. By working extra hours, by coordinating with your companies, by forwarding my email, by making sure you were part of the help and not waiting for someone else to step in, you all created this. Thank you isn't enough, but it's what I have. So...thank you.
Please enjoy the following photo video. Hopefully it will give you some insight into what your action created. I am so blessed to be a part of it as it lives in my heart not just during Christmas, but throughout the entire year.
Thank you.
2013 Christmas Drive Video
Thursday, December 12, 2013
Monday, December 2, 2013
2013 Christmas Drive Update
I'm posting a few updates to the Christmas drive because I know how many of you follow this eagerly every year and I wanted to keep you informed:
We have 2 weeks until Dec 14 when I need all the donations in, and so far, you have again astounded me with your response to what the kiddos here in Commerce City are needing. I've had boxes of hats, coats, gloves, and mittens dropped off in the office without even a name. I've had money sent from church congregations who wanted to help get some jeans and sweaters. I was able to order every single 2nd grader (all 95+ of them!) a brand new book at their reading level and gosh, that was fun to do! I've never been able to just order books like that before. I have students from other schools making crafts to sell to raise money, and all the other very important but too numerous to mention donations that are going to make such a difference to these kiddos.
Please accept my sincere thank you to all of you. For reading my original plea for help, for forwarding my email, for going shopping, for working extra hours so you can buy more blankets, for putting gift cards in the mail, and most of all, for loving these kiddos who you've never even met. This is without a doubt, the absolute highlight of my year.
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Just a sample of my student's "Letters to Santa" they wrote last week...
However, this drive isn't going to be as amazing as in years' past as the United States Air Force who have been so integral in helping me get gifts for all the kiddos have run into a snag. Due to government regulations, we aren't sure they're going to be able to get what they have in the past. So, I'm sending out another plea for help. If you've ever seen kids zip up their thin sweatshirt to go home when it's 6 degrees out (as it's supposed to be next week) because they don't have a coat, or a child tromping through the snow with no socks, I ask for one more thing: we need Target cards to get hoodies, coats, pajamas (if I can), and socks. Without the guaranteed help of the Air Force this year, I'm going to be stretched thin and anything you can send will go to use. Please forward or paste this if you can...and click here to see the results of last year's drive and click here to see what happened when we rallied the troops and people around the country to help one of my students who was suffering from a brain tumor.
Together we can do that again. It will be the highlight of your holiday season just as it is mine. It's something that is never forgotten.
Thank you.
We have 2 weeks until Dec 14 when I need all the donations in, and so far, you have again astounded me with your response to what the kiddos here in Commerce City are needing. I've had boxes of hats, coats, gloves, and mittens dropped off in the office without even a name. I've had money sent from church congregations who wanted to help get some jeans and sweaters. I was able to order every single 2nd grader (all 95+ of them!) a brand new book at their reading level and gosh, that was fun to do! I've never been able to just order books like that before. I have students from other schools making crafts to sell to raise money, and all the other very important but too numerous to mention donations that are going to make such a difference to these kiddos.
Please accept my sincere thank you to all of you. For reading my original plea for help, for forwarding my email, for going shopping, for working extra hours so you can buy more blankets, for putting gift cards in the mail, and most of all, for loving these kiddos who you've never even met. This is without a doubt, the absolute highlight of my year.
.JPG)
.JPG)
Just a sample of my student's "Letters to Santa" they wrote last week...
However, this drive isn't going to be as amazing as in years' past as the United States Air Force who have been so integral in helping me get gifts for all the kiddos have run into a snag. Due to government regulations, we aren't sure they're going to be able to get what they have in the past. So, I'm sending out another plea for help. If you've ever seen kids zip up their thin sweatshirt to go home when it's 6 degrees out (as it's supposed to be next week) because they don't have a coat, or a child tromping through the snow with no socks, I ask for one more thing: we need Target cards to get hoodies, coats, pajamas (if I can), and socks. Without the guaranteed help of the Air Force this year, I'm going to be stretched thin and anything you can send will go to use. Please forward or paste this if you can...and click here to see the results of last year's drive and click here to see what happened when we rallied the troops and people around the country to help one of my students who was suffering from a brain tumor.
Together we can do that again. It will be the highlight of your holiday season just as it is mine. It's something that is never forgotten.
Thank you.
Monday, November 4, 2013
2013 Christmas Drive Letter...My Kiddos Need Your Help!
Hello all my friends and family,
It's that time of year again, Christmas time! Please take a moment to read the following letter and possibly even forward it along if you see fit:
I work in a very impoverished school district. At last count, my school is over 95% free and reduced lunch, and our annual residential turnover (how quickly kids come and go) is 36%. (which means kids are constantly moving, staying with relatives, switching schools, etc…)
My second
grade class are a lively bunch of 8 year olds who have a wide range of talents
and challenges between them. We have 12
boys and 11 girls who to put it bluntly, need more for Christmas than I’ve seen
in years past. 2 of them are homeless: they either live in shelters or with
other family members. Some of them don't have their own coats, boots or enough
food to eat at night. They are constantly asking for “more breakfast please”
and they tend to save some of the snacks we get to take home to their siblings.
Whenever we serve fruit for snacks, they always grab some to take home to be
sure they have a snack later. The school provides free breakfast and lunch that
we serve every day and for some of my students this is the only time they even
get to eat. Two of my kids have family members (a mom or dad or brother) in
jail, and the vast majority of my kids don't have enough books, pencils, paper
or even crayons at home to do their homework. One little boy told me last week
that instead of having extra recess for his reward for doing a good job, could
he please have a box of crayons for his house because he’s always wanted a box. Another little boy told me he couldn’t come
to school last week when it was cold because he only has one hoodie and no coat
and didn’t want to be cold here at school.
It's not that all of the parents are deadbeats
or don't care: I've met all my parents and most of them are devoted to their
kids and passionate that their kids MAKE IT: they want their kids to rise above
their situation and become better than they themselves have it.
This is my 8th
year helping to provide a little bit of holiday cheer for my class, the 2nd
grade, and with your help, the entire school and it is the absolute highlight of
my year. Words can’t describe the joy I
feel when 2 years later, I see younger brothers and sisters running around the playground
wearing a coat you donated 4 years ago.
Or when a parent comes in to thank me and give me a hug in broken
Spanish to tell me that without the boots you sent, their child would have to
walk to the bus stop every day with holes in their shoes. Or the happiness that we see when a child
holds on to the one Christmas present you sent because she wants to take it
home and open it there as she knows it will be the only one she receives this
year. Or the feeling that someone cares
about them when I’m able to give a family a gift card that you sent to buy a
turkey for their Christmas dinner. Or watching a child walk down the hall with
new jeans, or a new sweater and not having to keep their hands in their pants
to hold them up because the only pair they have is too big and they don’t have
a belt. Or the pride in the 8 year old’s eyes when he zips up his new coat to
go outside to play soccer with his friends for the first time. Or watching
children squeal and run around on the playground all bundled up with new hats
and gloves and with the spring in their step that you put there for possibly
the first time. Or a grandmother of 4
girls that I had continually over the years coming back to give me a hug and tell
me that without our help, her grandchildren that she’s struggling to provide
for would not have had a Christmas for years.
Or the outpouring of gifts, money, food, clothes, and love from all over
the world you gave to my student and his family who was suffering from a brain
tumor and had to ride around in a stroller at 9 years old because his single
mom couldn’t afford a wheelchair. Or the 25 handmade quilts that were sent so
each child in my room could cuddle under a warm blanket when a few of them
shared towels that were used for that purpose. I could keep going, but I want
to make sure that you know that you have made all of that and so much more
possible over the years, and again, I’m asking for your help.
This year, I’m
hoping to again provide at least one present for the entire second grade of 98
children. Instead of asking for any and
all donations, I instead am asking for two small things that will make their holiday
just a little bit brighter and will remind them that despite the circumstances
they were born into, there are people out there that care about them and want
them to succeed. I would love to be able
to get two things for all the second graders in my school: a new pair of
pajamas, and a new book at their reading level.
This may sound small to you, but please believe me that even a new pair
of pj’s and a book from a stranger will be just the boost kiddos need to remind
them there’s a big world out there with people who care about them. I will also be making sure every child in my
room has decent shoes, coats, socks, and clothes to get them through the winter
which can be bitter and even one pair of new socks can make a huge difference.
As always, we
are in desperate need of socks, underwear, coats, hats, gloves, and gently used
clothing for most kids in the entire school in every range of sizes and
styles. Many children have siblings that
are also in desperate need of help, and anything you send will find its way to
good use. If you’d like to contribute
anything at all, please send Target Gift
Cards in any amount to:
Mara Kimling
c/o Alsup Elementary School
7101 Birch Street
Commerce City, CO 80022
I will make
sure every child receives a gift for Christmas and the children and families
who are desperate get their needs met.
I will need all donations at my school by Friday, December 13, 2013 so I have time to get everything wrapped and distributed by the holiday break. As I know most of you reading this have forwarded, collected, donated,
visited, and had their companies match their donations over the years, instead
of closing this letter with their “Dear Santa” letters which are as
heartbreaking as ever, I’m going to leave you with a few of the “Thank You”
quotes from last year.
Simply saying
“Thank You” is never enough, but I hope reading these touches your heart as it
does mine and impels you to take action as it does for me each and every
year. I thank you in advance for the
love and generosity and spirit you show to these kiddos. Please believe me, it lives in all of our
hearts for years.
Ms. Mara
Kimling
“…I really like what you gave me because I was brock and I
berley had some soks now I hav plenty of soks.” ~Aaliyah
“…thank you, it was my best day!” ~Juan
“…thak you for presns bekze santa detent com to my
howz. I like the spidrmn glvs!” ~Axel
“…I know you really care about us and spended a lot of money
but do you know how happy Miss Kimling was
she was crying because she never ever seen us so happy.” ~Esynce
“…Thank you for all the stuf you got me I wos so happy I
almost fanted and it is a day I will never forget.” ~Emily
“…thank you again and can you please come visit one time?”
~Christina
“…thank you for buying me presents and I hope I can see you
some day!” ~Nickolas
“…I appreciate all the presents we had was greater than
anything and it was better than a best party and awsome.” ~Adrian
“…thank you for everything! It was awesome that day and I
was so happy!” ~Mckayla
“…thank you for the socks, hat, gloves we needed all of that
stuff! Thank you again and I hope I see
you around! I will do very good in school!” ~Robert
“…Thank you for all you bot me. I am really appreciateing
because I needed soks and hats and more swuetrs.” ~Karla
“…it was the becst day of my life and I will never friget it
and thank you for all the stuff!” ~Eric
“…I also liked the cloths that you gave us because I didn’t
have harly any cloths but now I do so thank you very much! I will do what you said I will do good in
school.” ~Gabriel
“…Thank you for all my stuff! My mom and dad were surprised when I brouth
all the stuff home and I love my new stuff!” ~Valery
“…Also it was fantastic because nothing like this hade
happen and I like the sweter because it was fluffy and I promise to be good in
school.” ~Jasel
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
2012 Christmas Drive Update and Photos
Christmas
Drive pictures and update:
I hardly
know where to begin this. I’ll start by
posting the link to the pictures that were taken during Dec 12-20, 2012. These have been approved by my school district,
so feel free to share:
Alsup 2012 Christmas Drive Pictures Link
Alsup 2012 Christmas Drive Pictures Link
I’ll
explain now what you were able to do when you reposted my original plea for
help to your Facebook wall, sending my email to your friends and family and
asking them to forward it as well, and by taking action. You all took action for a group of children
that you’ve only heard of from me. I
know I’ve said this before, but I’m saying it again: YOU are the angels for
these kids. I looked around the
playground today and saw kids running around in the coats you bought. I saw children in jeans that fit them and
they were playing basketball without tripping over old shoes, or having to hold
up their older brother’s pants. I saw
kids in hats and gloves and throwing footballs that you sent to the
school. Every single child in my
classroom returned their homework I assigned over break. They finished it with the pencils and crayons
you provided, cuddled under the blankets you sent. As they were talking to each other about what
Santa brought, I heard two kids saying things like, “Santa didn’t come to my
house because my parents didn’t have any money, but he came here so that was
okay.” I overheard one child say to
another teacher, “My Christmas was here at school. We didn’t have one at home.” I tried to
imagine what it would have been like for these kids if you HADN’T taken the
action you did, and it hurts my heart to even think about it, so I haven’t.
I just
want to thank you. For all the smiles,
for the love, for the generosity, for the amazing spirit and soul that you gave
to not only my class, not only the entire second grade, but to my entire
school. I saw 5th grade girls
proudly walking into school today in the “new” clothes that you provided for
them, I saw little kindergarten boys zipping up their new coats, and I saw
smiles. I got more hugs from parents
today, more “thank you” letters, and more contented faces than I’ve ever seen
on the first day back from winter break.
I don’t know how to convey my gratitude any more than to just tell you
that the action of you, your family, and your friends has created joy beyond
belief here in Commerce City that will last long after Christmas has past. I offer my heart-felt “thank you” to you
all. You have done more good than you
can possibly know. These kiddos will be
forever changed…as will I.
Please
forward this to anyone and everyone who you think may have helped. They need to see what they have done. Thank you.
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