The Magazine of Santa Clarita recognizes the students of Pinecrest School as the SCV Cool Kids.
The frequency of smiles on the faces of area foster children was definitely increased because of the kindness and efforts of a group of Valencia grade school children.
Pinecrest School student council guidance counselor, Judy James led her fourth and fifth grade students in an annual project that included collecting pre-made spring baskets, new stuffed animals and sports toys. The donations were then sent to the Children’s Bureau, an organization providing foster and adoptive services to more than 9000 children and their families in Southern California.
“I’m a big believer in community service. This particular project is very near and dear to me because at one time when I was living back in Arkansas I had taken in a foster child myself. So, this is my favorite student council project,” said James.
This is the fifth year James has spearheaded the project with her students who through active participation learn about the needs of foster children who have experienced loss and difficult home life situations.
It was a huge success with 270 baskets, stuffed toys and sports toys collected. Children’s Bureau social workers distributed the baskets to foster and adoptive families in Valencia, Santa Clarita, Castaic, Saugus, Acton, Newhall, Quartz Hill, Palmdale, Lancaster and Littlerock.
“I am very proud of the work the student council does and with the help of our parents and staff members we have won the Honor Student Council Excellence Award for the past four years. Schools are chosen from all over the United States and Canada for this honor,” said James.
A Mardi Gras party at a local low-income senior citizen residence was yet another student council project led by James earlier this year that was a huge hit due to the active participation of the Pinecrest students. It’s their new-learned sense of giving that will most likely lead them to success and compassion for others in the future in a community already known for charitable works of love. It’s because of their generosity; The Magazine of Santa Clarita awards them the SCV Cool Kids designation. Congratulations.
Below are several essays from Pinecrest students:
My name is Savannah Jones and I am in 4th grade at Pinecrest Valencia. This is a hard time for a lot of the kids in foster care, so Pinecrest has decided to try to make this Easter a happier one for them. The students at Pinecrest are donating stuffed animals and Easter baskets to the kids who would not normally receive anything for Easter. The students hope that by giving these small gifts, it will bring some extra joy to the kids in foster care.
If I were in foster care I know it would make me feel better to know that someone I don’t even know thought about me. Sometimes doing the smallest things for someone turns out to be the most special thing to them. Knowing that you did something nice for someone is a terrific feeling.
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Hi my name is Abigail Ayala and I am in grade 4. I think we should be helping our community because other people have the right to have fun on Easter. We should give stuffed animals and Easter baskets to children in foster care whose parents can’t buy them things for Easter.
It makes me feel good when I help someone. I am very thankful to have a family who loves me and takes good care of me. Easter is a special time in our family, because we all get together. I try really hard to always think of others and that is one of the reasons I joined the student council at my school. We do many community and school projects. It’s a good feeling to give and maybe more people should give.
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Hi, I’m Cameron. We do this project to help foster children. It’s great to do it because you know you’re helping a child to know that there are many people who care about them and you also feel good about it too. Donating and fundraising are other ways that our student council gives back to the community and to our school.
Do you know exactly whom you are helping? I ’m talking about kids whose parents can’t take care of them any more or other reasons they have to move to a foster family. They basically have lost something important in their world. It is wonderful to feel the joy that another child you don’t know is feeling when they see the things that you get for them.
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Hello. My name is Taylor Ingrum and I am in 5th grade. Our school does the foster care project to help children that can’t live in their homes for whatever reason. I think it helps them because their foster family may need help supporting that child. I think it is important because when they usually don’t get anything at this time of the year. When they do get an Easter basket or a stuffed animal, it is something they can remember that there is someone out there who cares about them. It is amazing how a little thing can go a long way. I know that when someone does something nice for me I feel special and it is great that you are making someone else feel that way. I think our community should be involved in whatever can help out. We should help others to show people that it is the right thing to do and that we are a great community. It just makes you feel so good to be helping someone else.
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Hello, my name is Justin Warren. We donate at Thanksgiving, Christmas and other times of the year, but this is really a fun project. My favorite part is that the student council always buys sports toy for our part of the donation and I really love sports.
We do this project to help less fortunate kids. We understand that foster kids have to live away from their home for whatever reason and that would be really awful. I would hate to loose my parents. The foster care system is so important because if a child has nowhere to go, these people take them in and care for them. I know it makes me feel special and happy to open a present and I hope that they feel the same way.
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My name is Sophia Slaman and I am in the 4th grade. Wow! this is so fun to actually be a part of the student council foster care program. It is so nice for everyone in foster care that thinks they might not receive anything for Easter to receive an Easter basket this year. Student Council promotes this program for children who are in foster care and their foster parents who may be trying to pay for the essentials they need to live. I hope this program really helps these children enjoy Easter.
I feel that all foster children should have something special even if it is just a basket or stuffed animal. These gifts while small are especially just for them and it makes me feel good that I helped provide that feeling. It really warms my heart.
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My name is Paul and I am in the 5th grade. Our Foster Care project helps foster children. Our students buy or make Easter baskets with toys and/or buy stuffed animals. The students bring the Easter baskets and stuffed animals to the classroom. We do this every year and it goes to make these kids smile and feel good that someone cares about them.
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Hi I am Kyle Gordon and in the 5th grade and this is my second year to participate in the Foster Care Project. It is that time of the year when we donate Easter baskets, stuffed animals and sports toys to the kids in foster care. I hope that everyone that donated feels really good about helping other kids. This is a really fun project and makes you feel really good about helping.