STUDENT COALITION ADOPTS A FAMILY

By DEVIN LEWIS

DEVIN LEWIS FOR THE WIZARD WEEKLY

As the holidays approach, there is an abundance of excitement streaming throughout the community.  Unfortunately, not all families in our area are able to share in this excitement.   This year, a group of benevolent students at Washingtonville High School were determined to change that.  As they surged through Target they had one goal in mind: to help out families in need by shopping for gifts that would significantly help them have a jolly Christmas.

These are not just ordinary Washingtonville students; these students are a part of the Student Coalition Club. Each year, members of Student Coalition participate in an event where they strive to help out the school and community during the holiday season.  This event is called “Adopt a Family.”  This is always  a major deal for the town since many families do not have the luxury of buying each other gifts.   This is just one of many acts of kindness that the club participates in throughout the year.   The Student Coalition Club never fails to give back to the community.

For the Adopt a Family event, members of the club were split into groups with their close friends and were each designated a family to shop for.  Each family member had a $125 limit which ended up being no problem as the students were able to get their families' needs and wants with no issues. 

One of the volunteers, Tarek Abu-Zeid, stated, “I love making other people happy. I wanted to help put a smile on the faces of those in need during the holidays.”

What makes Student Coalition so special is that it helps develop students into great leaders in their communities for years to come.  Tarek asserted, “I am always going to try and give back to those in need. It helps make our society a better place when everyone is thoughtful of others and not just themselves.” Tarek, along with the rest of the boys, had great success shopping as they purchased warm clothes for the father and son of the family, and a new bike for the nine year old son.

Alexa Kraiza, a senior volunteer, was asked what her motives were for going out shopping with her friends. Alexa asserted, “My motive was that everybody deserves to have a nice holiday, especially the people that are struggling.” She went on to express that this is something she would love to continue to do because it is a great way to help the community.

The Student Coalition members went back to the high school later that night to wrap all the gifts together and get them ready to be delivered to the families.  

The holidays are no time for families to struggle. With the help of Washingtonville’s Student Coalition, families around the area are receiving new gifts that will certainly lead to happy holidays.