Charity Begins at School: Students, Staff, Parents Embrace Giving Spirit

Tis the season for giving, and students, staff and parents are in the holiday spirit.

"Community service is a big part of District 202's identity," said spokesman Tom Hernandez, who says the district has a rich history of reaching out to others and giving back through special projects and fundraisers all year long.

But especially in a weak economy with high rates of foreclosures and job losses, students and staff know that the holidays are an important time to lend a hand.

In recent years, the district has reached out to strengthen ties with local clergy and community organizations to better serve and support the area's needy families, Hernandez said.

Throughout the 30-school district, staff and students have been collecting coats, mittens, scarves, toys, toiletries and food to give to needy families this winter.

They're tackling hunger.

They're supplying warmth.

They're raising money for cancer awareness.

And when some students at believed there was still more work to be done, they formed their own service organization, "Teens Touching Lives," to help others by doing good deeds.

Across all grade levels, students have been stepping up and reaching out to make a difference. Here's a roundup of some of the things they're doing:

Goal: 1,000 New Toys for Hospitalized Children

Cheerleaders from all seven middle schools will present the third annual "Bring Cheer to a Child" fundraiser at 5 p.m. Dec. 8 in the main gym at , 7800 W. Caton Farm Road.

The squads will entertain crowds with holiday routines while collecting toys to give to children hospitalized during the holidays.

In lieu of admission, people are asked to bring an unwrapped toy to be donated to the "Mark Staehely Toy Drive," in honor of Mark Staehely, who began the toy drive 10 years ago while receiving treatment at Children's Memorial Hospital for a rare pediatric cancer.

All of the toys will be given to patients at Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago to ensure that each child hospitalized over the holidays receives a present.

Keith Marston, athletic director and physical education teacher at , said he hopes this year's event will surpass last year's, which collected more than 950 toys despite being rescheduled due to a snowstorm.

Planning the event and working with the cheerleaders has been a joy, Marston said.

"At the end of the day, there is no trophy. There are no ribbons," he said. "The children may not be able to verbalize what their actions mean because of their age, but they are getting the message. This is what society needs."

More than 200 children are expected to perform in the cheerleading showcase.

Toy donations will also be accepted at each middle school before the event for those who are unable to attend.

Basketball Game for "Shop with a Cop" and Interfaith Food Pantry

Staff members at hope to stop the 's undefeated win record when the two groups meet on the basketball court at 7 p.m. Dec. 10 at the school, 14723 S. Eastern Ave.

Regardless of who wins the game, all proceeds will benefit the police department's "Shop with a Cop" holiday program, in which police officers go Christmas shopping with needy children in good academic and behavioral standing from 16 area schools.

Tickets for the game are $2 in advance or $3 each at the door. Children 5 and under are free.

Proceeds from a concession sale sponsored by the Indian Trail Parent-Teacher Organization will benefit the Plainfield Interfaith Food Pantry.

Spare change will also be collected to benefit a seventh-grade student fighting leukemia.

Due to overwhelming need, the police department will take children shopping on two days. Middle-school children and younger will shop with a cop at the Plainfield on Dec. 20 while high-school children will get to shop with a cop Dec. 21 at the Plainfield .

The police department is 2-0 when facing the district's middle school staff.

Timber Ridge Jingle Jams Fundraiser

Timber Ridge Middle School staff and students will square off on the basketball court for the school's annual "Jingle Jams" fundraiser to benefit needy Timber Ridge families, the Relay for Life cancer walk and other school needs.

The game will begin at 5:15 p.m. Dec. 10 at the school's gym, 2101 Bronk Road. 

Timber Ridge students can buy their tickets in advance at school. Adults, children and seniors can purchase tickets for $2 each at the door. 

Donated prizes will be raffled off throughout the game. 

About a dozen Timber Ridge students and staff members are participating in a change competition, in which empty milk jugs with the pictures of the volunteers are placed in the lunchroom. The staff member and student who collect the most change throughout the week will get a pie in their face during halftime of the basketball game.

Plainfield East Community Food and Toiletries Drive

Community members can donate non-perishable food and toiletries from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dec.  11 at Plainfield East High School, 12001 South Naperville Road.

The school's Student Council and Mother's Club are asking for non-perishable food items and toiletry items like shampoo, conditioner, soap, lotion, toothbrushes, and toothpaste.

Free coffee will be served to anyone dropping off donations.

Plainfield East students, who collected 9,000 food items the week before Thanksgiving, will also collect items throughout the week of Dec. 6 in their classrooms, said Kate Morris, an English teacher and the head Student Council advisor. Last month, the East staff added six baskets complete with entire Thanksgiving meals to donate.

The Student Council and student body have embraced the food drive at their school, and have been active in publicizing Saturday's community drive, Morris said.

All items collected during the drives will be separated and given to Plainfield East families in need in time for the holidays.

The Student Council is also putting on a hot chocolate sale this week, which will raise money for treasures and other trinkets given to children undergoing treatments at Children's Memorial Hospital, Morris said.

River View Hosts Two Drives

students and staff are hosting two drives, one for gifts for River View families in need and another for food, toys and gift cards for the greater community.

The school is hosting a holiday giving tree and the Student Council is hosting a food, gift card and toy drive through Dec. 13.

Community members can drop off non-perishable food items, new and unwrapped toys and gift cards for grocery stores or general merchandise big box stores from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. weekdays at the school, 2097 Bronk Road.

The donations will benefit at least six families at River View as well as families in the Creekside Elementary School "Creekside Cares" program, other district needy families, the Plainfield Interfaith Food Pantry, the Toy Box Connection and MorningStar Mission.

River View is also hosting its third annual holiday giving tree where people can take a gift tag from the tree and return the requested gift item unwrapped by Dec. 13. 

Cash or gift card donations are also being accepted and will be used to purchase additional items for families in need.

Plainfield Central High School Fund Drive

The Parent Teacher Student Organization at is collecting monetary donations for its 18th annual Christmas drive to benefit needy area families.

Last year, the group helped 36 families in the community.

This year, the money will buy Christmas dinners and individual gifts for area families.

The organization tries to help as many families who are identified by school staff and social workers, and has never turned away anyone in need.

Checks can be made out to Plainfield High School-Central Campus Needy Family Drive and sent to Audrey Stein at the school, 24120 W. Fort Beggs Drive. Food baskets and gifts are expected to be delivered on Dec. 11 and 12, organizers said.

Warm Coats Collected; Pantries Filled

Chicago Office Technology Group in Bolingbrook donated 150 winter coats to the Creekside Elementary School's "Warmth for Winter" campaign, and the school's students and staff added more coats, hats, gloves and scarves to the boxes.

Creekside physical education and health teacher Jeff Peterson organized the school's second annual "Warmth for Winter" clothing drive, which helped more than 200 students last year and looks to help at least that many this year.

"We are still in the process of handing the coats out," he said. "It's a tough economy. Unfortunately some families have had to make tough decisions. It's either have heat, have electricity or have food. It hits home even in Plainfield."

Peterson said he hopes to take the burden away from some of these families by ensuring their children stay warm this winter.

He is also working to put food on the tables of many families though the Creekside Cares backpack program. The year-round food drive supplies 50 backpacks full of pantry staples per week to children in Creekside Elementary and and is planning to give about 70 backpacks of food weekly when the organization branches out to include and Timber Ridge Middle School, Peterson said. The school works with the Northern Illinois Food Bank and parent volunteers to help send out the backpacks, complete with items such as macaroni-and-cheese, oatmeal, cereal and canned vegetables.

Last month, the Creekside Cares program raised $950 through a chili dinner fundraiser to help fund the program, which also relies on grants and charitable donations.

"It's great to do food drives for Thanksgiving and Christmas, but we need to have food drives all year long," Peterson said. "I'm really thankful for everyone who has volunteered and caught the vision so we can ensure our future leaders and their families will have meals. It's really awesome that even in these hard times there are people and businesses that support Creekside Cares and give back to the community."

One day he hopes that when families who benefit from the program are in better financial shape, they will "pay it forward" and help someone else in need.

Teens Touching Lives

A group of 12 students at Plainfield East High School hope to raise $1,000 in the coming weeks to give to families in need this winter.

Despite being an organization for a mere month, the group "Teens Touching Lives" has already volunteered at the Creekside Cares Chili fundraiser and helped sell tickets for a Children's Memorial Hospital fundraiser that ensure hospitalized children receive a gift this Christmas, said one of the founders, Joni Grades, a freshman student at East.

The group, which meets every Tuesday, plans to read books to children at foster homes and play bingo and socialize with the elderly at nursing homes, Grades said.

Right now, they are hoping to raise about $1,000 to give to needy families in the district this holiday season.

"We can make a difference," said Grades, adding that all of the other students in the club deserve credit for their ideas and hard work. "Our goal is to be a movement, not just an organization, by spreading the word. Teens aren't just kids who get in trouble."

Among other generous acts, District 202 reports that in recent weeks…

** Students in the P-STEP (Post Secondary Transition and Educational Program) at sorted, wrapped and counted more than 1,000 gift bags of personal hygiene products to benefit local community members in need this holiday season. Students loaded the gift bags into boxes for delivery to the Daybreak Family Support Center, the Guardian Angel Home, MorningStar Mission and the Plainfield High School-Central Campus PTSO for its needy family drive.

** Ridge Elementary School recently raised $400 that bought 26 turkeys to donate to needy families for Thanksgiving.

** Plainfield North High School junior Katy Fayman raised $1,629.57 at a special breast cancer awareness event during the North versus South football game.

** Ten male staff members raised $391 in November to fund research to help prevent prostate cancer. The men participated in the international "Movember" men's health movement by growing a mustache (or "mo") for 30 days.

** Plainfield North and Plainfield South high school students and staff participated in the Claw Away Hunger Challenge, in which they collected and donated more than 4,600 food items to the Plainfield Interfaith Food Pantry.

** Students at recently raised $315 for Toys for Tots through the Scholastic Book Company.

** collected hats, coats, gloves and scarves throughout November to be sent to local shelters and organizations.

** staff recently raised $305 for breast cancer research through T-shirt sales and donations.

** Ira Jones Middle School's Team 8A collected more than 1,000 food items and money to help 11 families enjoy a Thanksgiving dinner.

** The Plainfield High School Central Campus girl's bowling team collected and donated 250 cans of food to the Plainfield Interfaith Food Pantry.