Every school in the Los Alamitos Unified School District participates in activities that provide items to organizations that benefit those in need and individuals who could benefit from a helping hand.
It is heartwarming to see how committed our students, families, and staff have been to philanthropic endeavors in 2013.
Oak students demonstrated their care and generosity by sponsoring several food drives that resulted in hundreds of cans and boxes of food being donated to We Care, the School Cents program, and Winter Wonderland.
Additionally, Oak students held a toy drive and put a great deal of support behind their very own King of Hearts candidate, Justin Padilla, that garnished over $1800 for the Los Alamitos Education Foundation.
Rossmoor students collected 10 large barrels of nonperishable foods for the We Care and sponsored a South East Asia orphanage by donating over 30 large bags of gently used children’s clothing.
Weaver partnered with Habitat for Humanity and collected more than $4,000 to purchase nails for new homes.
They also collected food for local shelters and sold holiday grams to support kids with cancer.
McGaugh students collected winter coats in support of the One Warm Coat Initiative and supported the Boy Scout sponsored food drive that provides meals for families during the holiday season. Hopkinson students participated in the Precious Lamb Drive that benefits homeless families, Spark of Love Toy Drive in partnership with the OC Fire Department, a toy drive for local shelters, and a food drive for We Care.
On Halloween, LAE Ambassadors partnered with the First Calvary Rangers in Operation Candy Share.
More than 425 pounds of candy was gathered from trick-or-treating.
The candy was sent to troops in Afghanistan, who shared it with the Afghani children, the local VA hospital to share with veterans, and HealthCare Partners for distribution to children in neighboring areas.
McAuliffe students conducted a shoe drive that benefited running clubs, the Salvation Army, and Goodwill and a canned food drive for the City of Los Alamitos.
Lee and McAuliffe staffs donated over $1,500 to purchase gift cards for local families to use over the holidays.
In addition, Lee students collected blankets for a retirement home in Downey, collected items for families affected in the Philippine typhoon, and collected food items for local organizations.
Los Alamitos High School held their annual Dear Santa Drive.
The Interact Club collected more than $15,000 worth of donated new items that were given to local families recommended by staff and Casa Youth Shelter.
Items were also given to the Orangewood Children’s Foundation in Santa Ana.
I am honored and humbled to work with and for such an amazing group of people who generously donate what they can to improve the lives of others in our community, and these activities only reflect a portion of what is being done across our schools.
They also reflect the generosity of our entire community and our local service organizations. Los Alamitos Unified is a spectacular place to live, work, and go to school!
Sherry Kropp, Ed.D., is superintendent of the Los Alamitos Unified School District.
