CAMDEN – Wanting to provide a merry Christmas to pediatric patients away from home, the Paul VI High School boys’ varsity soccer team delivered toys, games and other items from the children’s “wish lists” to the Ronald McDonald House of Southern New Jersey on Dec. 16.
As the students carried bags and boxes from car trunks into the Ronald McDonald House, they were greeted by Alexis Braddock, community outreach coordinator for the location. She praised the students’ “kindness and incredible generosity,” saying that “they are adding more good to the world.”
After placing their gifts in front of the Christmas tree in the house’s family room, the boys visited with the young patients. The Ronald McDonald House provides a home-away-from home for seriously ill children – and their families – who are undergoing treatment at local hospitals.
Junior Stephen Jacopo said he was thankful for the opportunity to help the children, adding that his soccer coaches “always tell us how important it is to excel on and off the field.”
“It’s good to see the smiles on their faces,” said fellow junior Christian Ugarte, who was joined not only by his friends, but also his mother, Martha, one of the parent organizers of the Paul VI/Ronald McDonald House partnership.
The visits “are rewarding not only for the patients, but for the students who learn how to assist the community and people in need,” she said.
The mid-December visit continues a partnership between the two organizations that began in August; other events have included the team making meals for the Ronald McDonald House families and playing games with the young residents.
Earlier in the day, the students and organizers gathered in the Paul VI School library in Haddonfield to combine their collected items before delivery. School Principal Philip Gianfortune was on hand to witness the effort. He said that this Advent and upcoming Christmas season, the students were taking the Catholic principles they have learned in the classroom and turning them into tangible actions.
“This is everything that we do here, forging that journey for students to build their faith through serving others,” he said.
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