School News

Adopt-a-family yields great results

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“This community has such a big heart,” Levittown Superintendent of Schools Dr. Tonie McDonald said as she looked around the board room at the district’s central offices on Dec. 16 and saw tables piled with gifts for needy families in the community.

This was the sixth year for the Levittown School District’s Holiday Adopt-A-Family program. Presents were distributed to children in Levittown, North Wantagh and northern Seaford. Social workers at the district’s 11 schools identified children in need, and asked parents to fill out wish lists. Among the items given to families were shirts, pants, winter coats and toiletries.

Esta Lachow, a community member from Levittown, is one of the organizers of the program along with Gina Interdonato. She said it is totally anonymous, as the social workers are the only ones who know what families the gifts are delivered to.

Many members of the community adopt families and buy gifts, including individual students, alumni, student organizations, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, staff members and district residents. Many students volunteered their time on Dec. 16 to wrap gifts at the Levittown Memorial Education Center. The items were then sorted and delivered to each school by members of the district’s maintenance staff.

Among the students giving their time were members of the MacArthur High School cheerleading squad. “I like to help out people who can’t afford what we have,” freshman Alexa Levi said. “We can take stuff for granted.”

The cheerleaders also helped fulfill the wish lists by contributing presents. Levi and her group bought a purse and a Dunkin Donuts gift card.

Ninth-grader Cassandra Dolan said it was upsetting that people within her own community are struggling to make ends meet for even the basic necessities. “I feel bad that they can’t have these things,” she said, adding that helping out last week taught her and her teammates the importance of giving back to the community.

Lisa Nessler, head coach of the cheerleaders, said her members do at least one charitable event per month. She noted that the group has to raise about $21,000 each year to go to a cheerleading competition. The community helps them meet that goals, Nessler said, so now they get to return the favor.

“They love this,” she said. “They love coming. They love wrapping. At the age that they’re at, they’re able to understand that not every kid is able to have what they have.”

Lachow said that some of the stories about how families are struggling are heartbreaking. The outpouring of support to help them, she said, is amazing.

Board of Education President Peggy Marenghi said she was glad to see so many students helping out last week. One of the goals in the district, she said, is to prepare them to be compassionate and caring people.

Like McDonald, as she looked around a room filled with presents, she was touched. “It’s the epitome of what Levittown stands for,” she said. “This is just what community members do.”