“The joy of brightening other lives, bearing each others’ burdens, easing others’ loads and supplanting empty hearts and lives with generous gifts becomes for us the magic of the holidays.” — W.C. Jones
Thanks to the generosity and efforts of Orleans Career and Technical Education Center’s SkillsUSA students and Royalton-Hartland Learning Center staff, some Royalton-Hartland Learning Center families are having a brighter holiday.
The OCTEC students and learning center staff decided to “adopt” six families over the holiday season; they collected presents and non-perishable food donations for them.
“Thanks to their initiative, that truly captured the spirit of giving within our school community, we were able to collaborate to help these students and their families,” said Royalton-Hartland Learning Center Principal Tara Grillo. “It was an amazing way to demonstrate compassion, teamwork and a shared commitment to helping others during this meaningful time of year.”
Grillo was part of the team that played Santa’s helpers and delivered the boxes to the families.
“While I didn’t take pictures to capture the moment, their smiles said everything,” Grillo said. “I was fortunate enough to accompany the team on the deliveries, and seeing the joy and relief on the families’ faces made the experience incredibly rewarding and meaningful. The families expressed overwhelming gratitude, sharing how blessed they felt to receive the gifts.”