Students in the chapel with gifts in the background.
A teacher passes wrapped gifts to a student.
Workers pose with donated gifts outside the chapel.
Workers load a car trunk with donated gifts.
Workers in front of a cube van loaded with donated gifts.

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Holiday Hero brightens season for young people

12/11/2023

The Holiday Hero gifts have left St. Andrew’s for delivery to 124 youths in the care of the York Region Children’s Aid Society (CAS).

These are young men and women who live on their own, reside in group homes, or are away at school and don’t have family to rely on. Organizer, Melissa Tackaberry, says in addition to the 124, we are supporting five young people who are turning 18 soon and aging out of their foster homes.

Student advisory groups at St. Andrew’s and St. Anne’s each selected a person to help based on their profile, then purchased gifts for them. The young people requested items like laptops, housewares, toiletries, winter coats and boots, pet food, beds and linens, school supplies, and grocery gift cards.

Last week, staff volunteers helped sort and wrap the presents. On Monday, Dec. 11, CAS caseworkers busily packed up all the gifts that had been stored in the basement of Memorial Chapel, filling a rental truck along with a fleet of their cars.

This is the 17^th year SAC has operated Holiday Hero. Ms. Tackaberry said the school has raised more than $2 million for the program in total.

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