Gift Drive Kick-Off in Upper School
Source/Author: junior Melanie F.
November 17, 2016
A hallmark of the Shorecrest holiday season is the annual Guardian ad Litem Gift Drive. Every year, each class in the school is assigned a family of foster children for whom they will buy and wrap gifts just in time for the holidays. This event has always been an astonishing example of the compassion and generosity of the Shorecrest community.
Last year, Shorecrest families bought gifts for over 220 children. Each year this number grows and students become even more dedicated to the cause. Last year, I had the privilege of helping the Guardians load the gifts into their cars for delivery to the children. The sheer gratitude of the Guardians once they saw the hundreds of gifts was overwhelming for me. Events like the Gift Drive help us humanize charity because we realize these are kids just like us, and it's really meaningful to know you're having a direct impact in St. Pete.
This week, we were lucky enough to have a different Guardian ad Litem visit each Upper School advisory to share their experiences as an advocate for foster children. Their stories were remarkable and often emotional, leaving us even more motivated to help make this holiday season as merry as we can for local children of all ages in the foster care system.
Thank you to Mrs. Bartlett, Mrs. Zolper and all the members of the Upper School GaL Club for helping to organize the program. It helped us understand the signficance of the Gift Drive and the good work that GAL does.
The gift drive is approaching quickly, so please consider donating online here so we can make the biggest difference yet in our community!
