A now annual project with giving at its heart, Hillcrest School’s Christmas Store brings together a school, families and the community at large.
Sara Pippus, Hillcrest’s community education liaison, said the event that allows students to shop for free, selecting gifts to give over the holiday season, is simply a lesson in the joy of giving.
Gifts are donated by companies and individuals around the city, and the past few years have been so successful there have been enough gifts for students to select two or as many as three to wrap and deliver to someone they care about.
“What we’re trying to teach them is that there’s joy in giving,” said Pippus. “It’s a nice thing to be able to give.”
She noted there is an option for the students who don’t celebrate Christmas to select a gift that they are able to present. The act of giving doesn’t have to be tied to any formal holiday.
“We just think teaching them not only that it’s good for them to give to other people, but their community is generous in providing something for them to give, that’s a nice trust building thing for our kids. They recognize that the community is for them, not against them, and that’s a really positive message to send students now,” said Pippus.
Outside of the Hillcrest student body, she said it gives the staff a positive project to work on.
The school will be accepting gift donations until Dec. 5. Community members will come in as elves to help wrap the gifts, and students will start making selections on Monday.
“It’s an all around nice time,” added Pippus. “The library gets turned into basically the North Pole.”
When the students go through to make selections, there are helpers who can aid the children in making appropriate choices based on who they will be receiving the gift.
“Generally they pick parents, but a lot of them will pick a grandparent or just someone special in their lives. Some of them will pick their siblings. We prep them a little bit before they come into the store. We tell them to just pick someone special who means something to you and that really is something that I think can be a lost art in terms of thinking about someone else, rather than just yourself, and being able to pick out a gift they would enjoy,” said Pippus.
“We’ve had a lot of really good response this year in terms of goods donated this year as well as cash donations,” she added, noting their not-for-profit status provides donors with receipts and cash donations may be put toward other costs that need covering like gift bags, tags and wrapping.
