St. Margaret’s Fountain Courtyard turned into a shopping extravaganza with books, toys, clothes, pajamas and holiday cheer, the culmination of a service-learning project benefiting Orange County families. 

 

Santa’s Scottie Village is an annual community outreach in its eighth year led by St. Margaret’s Lower School with collaboration from St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church and Padres Unidos. The project supports local families who participate in a weekly preschool and parent education program at the Church through Padres Unidos, a non-profit group of community workers who serve families in Orange Country through a variety of child, youth and family services.

 

“In partnership with Padres Unidos, our students surveyed family needs, learned how to create a SignUp Genius, decorated bags, monitored donations, tracked, picked up, sorted, set-up and stocked the inventory. Once complete, they eagerly helped families select items to give to their children,” said Tupper Spring, Lower School director of community life.

 

The Lower School community, led by grade 4 students, came together to support the project with a donation drive that brought in many gifts like pajamas, dolls, books, toys and clothing. The shopping experience is complete with decorated shopping bags, a wrapping station and personalized Christmas cards for each family. 

 

The project aligns with grade 4’s United Nations Sustainable Development goal of sustainable cities and communities, as students learned the importance of supporting families in the building of a strong community.