Cardinal Spellman High School, Day of Service

News from GiftsToGive, Youth Philanthropy

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It’s one thing for us to talk about what we do, it is entirely a better thing when a student volunteer talks about their experience. We are so proud of the students from Cardinal Spellman, and even prouder, if that is possible, of Charli.

Changing Lives One Gift at a Time.
By: Charli Carey

My name is Charli Carey, and I am currently a junior at Cardinal Spellman High School in Brockton. While preparing for our annual service day, several of my classmates and I struggled with the decision of which service site to volunteer at. Last year, as a sophomore, I volunteered at GiftsToGive, and knew that I wanted to volunteer there again, this time as a junior. I spoke with several of my classmates about what they were expecting when they volunteered to serve at GiftsToGive.

“I didn’t think it would be so big, or doing so well!” Junior, Brittany O’Donnell said. “They’re so well organized!”

GiftsToGive receives so many donations, that they fill almost an entire warehouse. We saw everything from winter and summer clothing to school supplies, books, and even brand new birthday gifts! I was amazed to see how many times they check over their donations before giving them to those in need.

“I wasn’t expecting there to already be so many volunteers.” Said classmate, Sarah Mullen.

A GiftsToGive volunteer, told my classmates and I that around 50 grandparents volunteer during the week, working to make the magic of GiftsToGive a reality. Additionally, on weekends, over 150 volunteers arrive to help, with ages ranging from middle school children to adults and the elderly. With the volunteer age starting at 3 years old, there are so many different perspectives going into the donations and gift packages at GiftsToGive.

Denise Bertrand, a volunteer at GiftsToGive, explained to me how they personalize the gift packages for children in-need. The social workers, teachers, school nurses and other agencies are asked about the person for which they are requesting the donation package. Not only do the volunteers at GiftsToGive make sure that everything will perfectly fit the child, they also like to include things that that the child enjoys. After checking the donations six times, the gift packages are hand picked based on the specifications made for that child. This makes the gift packages so much more special, in that the volunteers not only want the children they help to have what they need, but also things that they like.

“It’s (GiftsToGive) going to help a lot of people in unimaginable ways.” Says Classmate, Megan Callahan.

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