December 23, 2019
Eagle Christmas soars in second year
NEW MADRID, Mo. — Santa and the elves can sit back and relax a bit. Students from New Madrid County R-1 School District are working to make this a merry Christmas for more than 200 children. Dubbed an Eagle Christmas, the event has grown in size and support as it marked its second year...
By Jill Bock/Standard Democrat
NEW MADRID, Mo. — Santa and the elves can sit back and relax a bit. Students from New Madrid County R-1 School District are working to make this a merry Christmas for more than 200 children.
Dubbed an Eagle Christmas, the event has grown in size and support as it marked its second year.
Members of the SkillsUSA program at the R-1 Technical Skills Center again headed up the effort. This year they were joined by members of Central High School’s Beta Club, Student Council, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, National Art Honor Society and Future Farmers of America. Central Middle School students also joined their ranks for Eagle Christmas 2019.
Thursday, after school ended for the Christmas break, they were busy decorating tables for a Christmas feast for the children and their families. Others were checking youngsters’ wish lists to ensure the gifts were there while another group wrapped packages and placed the bows.
Gloria Houston, SkillsUSA sponsor, smiled as she watched the students quickly tackle their tasks.
“The best thing has been watching the kids jump on board and be so excited,” Houston said.
It is an opportunity to learn. Houston said taking part in an Eagle Christmas enables students to gain experience with time management, planning and organizing which will help them professionally.
“But the biggest thing I want them to learn is how you can lose yourself in service to others,” she said. “If you are wondering where you fit in or how you can make a difference, it is through service to other people.”
Working with the school counselors from across the R-1 District, Houston said they gathered lists from 218 children in need. While those wish lists included toys, the children also asked for warm clothes, shoes and even toothpaste.
Sponsors stepped forward to fill the needs. Some donated money. Others, Houston said, would take a child’s list and do the shopping.
“It is just neat when strangers who don’t even know the child come together and . . . shop for them just like they would their own children,” she said.
According to Houston, one woman, who didn’t have daughters, selected a little girl to sponsor. Houston said the woman cried as she spoke about finding the perfect doll.
“She treated this kid like it was her child even though she doesn’t have any idea who it is. Things like that just really make it magical,” Houston said.
There were other magical moments for Houston.
This year several students who have jobs asked to be sponsors, she noted.
Earlier in the day she watched as the students assisted one of their 18-year-old peers.
“They presented her with two bags of clothes and household supplies and things,” Houston recalled. “It was very magical to watch one high school student sponsor another high school student and make their Christmas.”
To complete the Eagle Christmas, the culinary class at the Technical Skills Center planned and prepared a dinner for the children and their families Thursday evening. Many of the student volunteers returned to serve the more than 400 guests.
Central High School student Khayrah Steward volunteered again this year for the Eagle Christmas.
She noted many others also volunteered.
“Last year it was mostly just SkillsUSA but now it is like almost all the clubs are involved. Middle school is as well,” she said. “Last year we were kind of scrambling to get a lot of things done but it seems like it is getting done faster this year.”
NMCC senior Breona Morgan agreed. “This year we have a lot more hands on deck so everything is a lot more organized,” she said.
Morgan said her favorite part of the Eagle Christmas is seeing the children’s faces and their excitement as they receive their presents.
Both students said there is a real need for the program. Morgan added more parents came forward this season seeking assistance for their children through the Eagle Christmas.
“A lot of kids don’t get Christmas presents at all and this is just a way to make them feel better about themselves and get them the things they need,” she said. “Plus, it brings so many people together. It just doesn’t bring the families closer; it brings the whole community together.”
Allison Crider, a senior at NMCC, was overseeing the last-minute gift wrapping. She grinned and described the process as “organized mass chaos. That is what we say a lot around here. But it is a blessing to bless 218 kids and their families with food, presents, toys and clothes. To be able to participate and help people in need is just a blessing all around.”
For Crider, taking part in the Eagle Christmas was more than a learning experience.
“Just seeing how much other people need, I feel humbled to know that there are people out there who need help and that I can help,” she said. “At the same time, this is helping me. It is a present for me. It is presents for them, but it is a present to me because I’m learning more about myself and my friends and peers. It has changed lives.”
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