2010年12月16日 星期四

Giving is the greatest gift of all for Abbotsford inner-city kids

Wide-eyed, students at Godson Elementary file into the gym for their annual Christmas shopping extravaganza.

The gym resembles a department store during the holiday season, complete with store clerks, gift wrappers and piped-in holiday muzak.

Kitted out in Santa hats and fuzzy reindeer antlers, children wander around tables piled high with goods and "buy" gifts for everyone in their family - but they don't spend a dime.

There's men's and women's wear, an electronics department, as well as toy and fine jewelry sections.

"There's even something for dogs, which is kind of cute too," says Godson principal Carla Danielsson.

The annual Godson Christmas Store, which celebrated its fifth year Thursday, ensures students, many of whom belong to lower income families, experience the joy of providing gifts to their loved ones during the holidays.Nike air max tn

"We're an inner-city school and we have some amazing, amazing kids, and their Christmases aren't always fabulous," Danielsson says.

"We want to put the focus on how much the kids do have, and help them be givers. To take the focus from what they get, to what they are able to give."

Staff, students' families, volunteers and various community partners work hard each year to collect new and gently used items for presents appropriate for every member in a family.

"We have mountains of gifts," says Danielsson.

"We put some volunteers on the floor to help the kids pick out gifts because they tend to get a little overwhelmed.baseball cap"

Grade 2 student Billy Agular stares wonderingly at a collection of cellophane-wrapped items on a table.

The seven-year-old gingerly fingers a bag containing a large egg-shaped object.

"What is it?" he asks quietly.ed hardy hats

"It's a Kinder Surprise egg!" says a blond girl suddenly popping up at his side before she makes off with that very item.

"I touched it first," Billy says to her retreating back.Air max 2009

But in the spirit of the season, he gives up the egg without a fight and selects a silver-foiled chocolate Santa instead.

"I'll take this for my sister," he says.

Other kids stagger towards the gift-wrapping tables, struggling to keep their purchases from falling out of their arms.

Keaton Taekema strains to stack four silvery reindeer ornaments onto a Harry Potter board game he has clutched to his chest.

"They're for my mom so she can decorate the house,Air max 360" says the Grade 3 student before heading to the toy department to shop for his six-year-old sister.

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