CAMDEN – Squeals of excitement filled the music room of Sacred Heart School this morning as wide-eyed students looked around in disbelief.
There stood members of the Saint Augustine Preparatory School basketball team, some holding action figures, dolls and basketballs, while others gestured to the hundreds of toys lining desks and tables.
“Who likes Batman?” one Saint Augustine student asked, as several first-graders jumped up and down yelling, “Me! Me! Me!”
Holding a microscope kit for kids, Saint Augustine senior Aaron Jones knelt down and asked a youngster, “Do you want to be a scientist?”
All in all, it was difficult to tell who was having more fun: Sacred Heart’s pre-K through eighth-grade students or Santa’s Little Helpers from Richland.
“As you can see, our students don’t just show up – they are really trying to help the kids,” Hermits’ coach Paul Rodio said. “When we get back to the school, that’s the first thing I’m going to tell them: ‘You should feel good about yourselves. You just did something excellent.’”
For 23 years, Saint Augustine Prep has been delivering Christmas toys to Catholic Partnership Schools in Camden, of which Sacred Heart is a part. The initiative is sponsored by the school’s Office of Mission and Ministry.
“The kids are definitely in for a real shock,” Principal Elizabeth Mariani said as the pre-K students walked out of the room with bags of toys and curious first-graders filed in.
Though this was the first time Sacred Heart experienced what she called “a Saint Augustine’s Christmas,” the high-schoolers aren’t strangers to the school.
“Saint Augustine has really reached out to build community here at Sacred Heart, preparing their gentlemen to be young men of service and action,” Mariani said. “They’ve come here in the past to do community service projects like painting and getting our playground for recess set up. But this is the first time our kids are interacting with Saint Augustine students personally, and I’m really excited.”
So were the teenagers.
“I love seeing the kids having a good time. I love bringing joy to the kids,” said Jones. “Bringing a smile to a kid’s face makes me happy.”
This was Jones’ second year delivering toys. Last year, he was part of the crew who made a special delivery to CPS school Holy Name.
“I think this is the biggest [collection] year since I’ve been helping,” said Kyle Helphenstine, a Saint Augustine senior. “It’s all about building community. It lights up these kids’ Christmas.”
Delivering the toys is just half of the effort – the students themselves start donating the toys in November.
“Saint Augustine talked about friendship. That was his center of everything,” said Father Tony Burrascano, OSA, assistant to the Head of School for Mission & Ministry.
“We are challenging these guys to look at their interiority, being aware that there is a world outside of Richland, New Jersey. When you see the result, the students and families who buy the toys and then the children who receive them – it’s just incredible.”
at the bottom and then tap “Add to Home Screen”
