Middle school raises $565 in holiday drive
Funds given to Marines organization for local needy families
BY JENNIFER KOHLHEPP
Staff Writer

CHARLES W. KIM Members of the Linwood Middle School student government donated gifts and money to the local Marines to distribute to needy children in North Brunswick for the holidays.

NORTH BRUNSWICK — Linwood Middle School students and staff collaborated with the Marines to help the less fortunate this holiday season.

During a one-day fund-raiser on Dec. 12, sixth-, seventh- and eighth- graders and their teachers collected $565 and bags of other gifts for the New Jersey Chapter of the First Marine Division Association to distribute to local needy children.

"It is important for everyone to remember that there are families in our own neighborhoods that need help," Charles Wynn, the president of the New Jersey Chapter of the First Marine Division Association said. "Our organization is about serving mankind, as we all should be."

In a special ceremony on Dec. 19 held in a classroom decorated for the holidays with a tree and other trimmings, members of the student government, teachers, and Principal Vincent DeLucia presented the gifts and cash to Wynn and the organization’s Vice President Matthew Daley.

"Without these students our organization would not be as successful as it is in helping these poor families," Daley said. "Even for Thanksgiving, they helped us to by donating at least 30 turkeys."

Tenth-grade family-and-living health teacher Marj Spangler said students and staff accumulated the donations in one day.

"We held a drive where students who wanted to wear hats to school had to donate $1, and if teachers wanted to wear blue jeans to school, they donated $1," Spangler said.

Spangler said students wore everything from baseball caps to creative bonnets.

"It was like mad hatter day, and they had fun while contributing to a good cause," Spangler said.

The donation made to the Marines is an extension of a new project developed by Spangler and other staff members at Linwood.

"In October, we had Denim Day and all of the teachers paid the money to dress down to raise funding for the kids for Spirit Week," Spangler said. "We all thought why not do this every month and contribute the money to better the community at large."

Spangler has since organized fund-raisers for organizations such as the Marines and the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation with her project "D-3 For Charity," which stands for dress-down-day for charity.

"It is important for the students to see our faculty making contributions to others and it is important when they partner with these groups and the staff in these efforts," DeLucia said. "These projects help to build self-esteem and develop good characteristics."

On behalf of those students at Linwood whose families may require some extra help to make the holidays merry and bright, DeLucia accepted a donation of Toys R Us gift certificates from the Marines.