Redbank Valley Students Make Christmas Magical for Families in Clarion & Jefferson Counties

NEW BETHLEHEM, Pa. (EYT) – Changing the world can be a daunting task. There are, after all, more than seven billion people that populate our planet.

(Redbank Valley’s Broadcast Journalism class highlighted the multi-day project in a video above.)

That is a lot to change.

Changing the world, however, becomes a bit less daunting when we look for ways to change the world for individuals within our communities. That is exactly the challenge that was undertaken by 25 Redbank Valley senior students as they sought to change the world on Christmas morning for nine children.

The project, which was inspired three years ago by a young boy living within the Redbank Valley School District who was battling cancer, has turned into an annual Christmas project for Redbank Valley’s senior AP Government class. The civic engagement project takes nominations for families who need just a little bit of help during the Christmas season. The nominations are then reviewed by the students before ultimately choosing which family to provide for.

This year saw three nominations roll in, and much like the class of 2018, the class of 2019 chose to go big and provide gifts for all three families that consisted of nine children.

Setting a goal of $200 per child, the seniors went to work crowdfunding from classmates and their community. The students were made aware that there would be no formal fundraisers taking place and if they were to raise the needed $1,800, they would have to hit the ground running to come up with all of the required funds.

When it was all said and done, the ambitious students had raised nearly $2,100, topping their goal by nearly $300.

“You know, this year I was really excited about the total but it didn’t surprise me, because, you know what, I think that we have great people at our school,” explained Peyton Kirkpatrick. “We’ve got kids and teachers who care. It’s just a community, and that $2,000 that was raised is just a product of who we are.”

Upon securing the funds, the students then invited the families to meet Redbank Valley’s own, Santa Waz so the children could tell Santa what they wanted for Christmas. The students, serving as Santa’s elves, recorded the gift requests so that they would know exactly what to purchase for the children.

This past Wednesday, the students traveled to Wal-Mart in Clarion, equipped with their more than $2,000 in funds and Christmas lists in hand to personally purchase gifts for the families. At the conclusion of their shopping trip, the students returned to their high school library where they spent the afternoon wrapping gifts so they would be ready in time for pickup by the families.

Seniors Molly Nolf and Elisabeth Hook both discussed the impact that helping others in need had on them personally.

“I learned that the most important part of this project is to give without the need of recognition,” said Nolf. “On Christmas morning, nine girls and boys will wake up and see that Santa came to see them. Their faces light up, their hearts swell, and they’re practically busting at the seams to see what’s underneath that wrapping paper. The messages and gratitude from the parents give this feeling of joy that makes me realize that there is some good in this little community. It makes me realize that we need to provide help to the hometown that raised us.”

Hook echoed Nolf’s thoughts on being raised in a small town.

“I feel that living in a small town can sometimes make people who want to help feel like they don’t know where to start or that there are no opportunities,” said Hook. “I think this project is a great example that there are many areas of need where we live that go overlooked, especially during the holiday season, and that creativity and teamwork can go a long way. Going forward I feel this experience has helped me be able to approach adversity with creativity and be able to identify needs in our community more clearly.”