By Staff Writer Lynn Arbid
This year, NNHS’ Key Club has donated 304 gifts for Community 4:12, an organization created to help families and communities in need.
Key Club head sponsor Ryan Hall believes that this donation would not have been possible without the support of NNHS staff and students.
“[Key Club] hosts [The Giving Tree], but it’s NNHS that gets all the credit for [the good that is done],” Hall said. “[This] makes me love this time of year in this building even more.”
Community 4:12 holds gift marts in Joliet and East Aurora for families in severe need during the holiday season. Parents are given tickets to these gift-marts from school social workers depending on their financial situation.
All the toys are sold at two to three dollars and a family can buy five toys at most. The money raised at these gift marts is then given to area schools to use in bettering the children’s education.
Once parents finish buying gifts, there is also a station for them to wrap their presents for the holidays.
Any toys left over after the gift mart has finished are donated to local charities.
Key Club has enjoyed its partnership with the organization. Community 4:12 contacted Hall and provided him with information on their services. Hall then took the appropriate steps to partner with the organization.
Donations are usually accepted from mid-November till mid-December. This year gifts were accepted up until Thursday, Dec. 12.
Students can donate gifts by placing them under The Giving Tree in the principal’s office.
Key Club also annually contributes gift cards to Family Connections and holds a drive for bridge communities to give individuals who are moving the household supplies they may require during the holiday season.
This year Key Club and District 203 also sponsored thirty kids within the district, buying gifts for the children for Christmas this year.
“We are helping our own district with Family Connections and sponsoring students, but [also] branching out and helping people in the surrounding community as well, with The Giving Tree,” said Hall. “We are trying to make sure that we are reaching out to as many people as we can.”
