During the Christmas season here in Claiborne County, community service and 4-H go hand in hand. This year the University of Tennessee’s 4-H statewide program partnered with Samaritan’s Purse for Operation Christmas Child. This project allows 4-H youth to pack and send shoeboxes stuffed with toys, hygiene products, clothes, and games to children in developing nations around the world so that they can share a little of the wonder that is Christmas. It is a project that 4-H youth truly enjoy participating in!
This year our top participants for Operation Christmas Child is the entire school at Heritage Christian Academy. The Heritage 4-H members in the fourth through eighth grades and their teachers got all the grades involved with the goal of having 100 shoeboxes filled. They met their goal and filled 100 shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child!
Congratulations to the students and faculty of Heritage Christian Academy! They certainly live up to the 4-H motto of ‘To Make the Best Better.’
Springdale Elementary was also a key participant, whose students packed 20 shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child. There were additional items raised or donated from the other schools in Claiborne County. These items were put with items from the 4-H Home School youth and came to a total of thirteen boxes. Congratulations to Claiborne County Schools for being able to donate and pack 133 boxes overall for Operation Christmas Child!
However, this has not been the only endeavor the youth in Claiborne County 4-H has participated in this Christmas season. There were also donations from schools across the county for various toy drives. These donated toys included 12 dolls, ten hot wheel cars, two remote control cars, eight action figures, and 12 stuffed animals as well as other miscellaneous items. These were donated to the local CEASE shelter, the Veterans of Foreign Wars angel tree, and the Ryan McDonald and Colt Jones Memorial Toy Drive held by the University of Tennessee.
The staff of Claiborne County Extension are very proud of our youth for their giving spirit and want to say congratulations on helping so many this Christmas! Special thank you to all our 4-H members, teachers, and parents who support 4-H efforts to make the world a better, brighter place for everyone.
