The Spirit of the holiday season touches TJ community.
by Jasmine Kabera
DECA members and TJ staffers work together to make a brighter holiday for less fortunate families in the community. Photo courtesy of DECA.
The Thomas Jefferson High school DECA program is acting as Santa Clause this year for a well deserving family in the TJ community. “It’s been a long standing tradition here in DECA,” said Business Teacher Matt Nicolo.
DECA collaborated with Samanda Davis, TJ’s social worker on the project. Davis does research on several families in need and contacts the parents immediately with the idea and to compile a wish list. Davis then provides the necessary information, such as the number of family members and the ages and gender of the children. The wish list ranges from basic things like new clothes to new toys. The wish lists often contain simplistic and inexpensive items, so DECA loves to surprise the family with a little extra something. “We’ve bought game consoles and iPods in previous years,” said Nicolo.
DECA has been very successful since resurrecting the project in 2006. “Two years ago DECA won first place in community service with this project,” Nicolo said proudly. “We raised over $1200.” Last year’s DECA team raised $500 just on hot chocolate sales alone to add on to their growing number of donations.
It looks like smooth sailing for the fundraiser so far this year. There has already been a large support system from the TJ staff, with the contributions of toys and money. $1,000 in cash has already been contributed and the amount of support from the TJ community is more than enough to make this year’s family in need overjoyed. The money is all converted into gift cards or it goes to buying the presents, and every single cent is used on the family. The DECA students make an outing of the shopping experience, and buy gifts for all the family members.
After the shopping has been done, the DECA students get together for a wrapping party. Everyone gets decked out in holiday attire and gets to work with scissors, tape and wrapping paper, also making time to fill stockings with goodies for the children. Afterwards, they pack up their cars and go deliver the presents. The children do not know DECA was responsible for all their gifts, so in true Christmas spirit the parents usually give credit to Santa. “It’s the typical Christmas tradition; that’s what makes it so fun,” said Nicolo.
