When a group of young professionals supporting Pikes Peak United Way was looking for new ways to engage with Colorado Springs communities, they saw an opportunity to help bring joy to low-income families—particularly young children—during the holiday season. Six years later, the Adopt-a-School program continues to provide elementary school kids with gifts that are bought, sorted and wrapped by the nonprofit’s donors and volunteers before they’re distributed to classrooms.
“This program is designed to meet families with dignity and to show them empathy and that the holidays can be enjoyed,” says Cami Bremer, PPUW president and CEO. “United Way has wanted to provide that for young families, our entire existence.”
Adopt-a-School selects one school annually; this year, it’s Mark Twain Elementary School, located on the east side of Colorado Springs. Volunteers are currently hard at work preparing presents requested by students via wish lists that counselors send them. Next month, children will unwrap gifts at school as teachers, parents and Santa Claus himself watch delighted smiles spread across the faces of every little one.
In celebration of this season of giving, Bremer and Bobby Gomez, PPUW community impact director, share more about the Adopt-a-School initiative and what it means for the families it benefits.
Partnering with schools in need.
Bremer: United Way has been around for over 100 years, focusing on meeting community needs and ensuring that families have a path to stability. We’ve had longstanding connections with our school districts, and we know that to provide stability for a family and ensure the success of children from their youngest ages, we must be in great partnerships with school systems. Through the Adopt-a-School program, we choose a Title 1 school in District 11 that doesn't have as many resources as others.
Making a list, checking it twice.
Gomez: Every student in a school we adopt gets two gifts, a need and a want. They submit a wish list for everything from shoes and coats to pillows and board games in Spanish. On the back end, we have a group of individuals whom we like to call our elves that do the ordering from Amazon. They look at each student to see what teacher they have, what grade they’re in. I haven't seen a school taken care of with less than 300 students, so it’s usually at least 600 gifts that we're purchasing.
Facilitating the preparations.
Gomez: Our three big collaborative efforts are the ordering, the organizing and the wrap party. It's usually volunteers who come in and help us. It’s truly not possible to do it by ourselves. Once gifts start coming in, we'll organize them. Sometime in early December, we have a wrap party that brings together all of the donors and all of the corporate organizations that want to participate in wrapping these gifts and hearing the stories of the students. Wrap parties generate about 160 to 170 people. Then we choose another day for gift distribution before students are off for the holiday season.
Witnessing gratitude from teachers and families.
Gomez: When Pikes Peak United Way comes in to let teachers know that we're adopting their school, I can only describe them as overcome with joy. The smiles on the students’ faces, the parents recording their children getting these gifts and being able to do something fun at school alongside their friends—it's one of those events that really does fill your cup. During gift distribution, everything we do from January all the way to November and December comes to fruition. Being able to do it year after year makes me proud of our organization stepping up in this way.
Bremer: The level of gratitude is hard to put words to. You will see teachers with tears in their eyes over a kid who is so excited about winter boots or socks. Last year, a special education teacher said, ‘You saved Christmas for several kids in my classroom.’ It’s about the kids, and it’s also about how much these teachers care about the kids they’re with day in and day out.
Pikes Peak United Way
518 N. Nevada Ave.
719.632.1543
ppunitedway.org
For volunteering opportunities, visit ppunitedway.givepulse.com or contact Lindsay Yochum, volunteer and events coordinator, at lindsay@ppunitedway.org