School faculty fulfills students’ gift wish lists
BY JENNIFER AMATO
Staff Writer

JENNIFER AMATO Livingston Park Elementary School nurse Diana Whalen prepares to distribute gifts, purchased by the school’s staff, faculty and parents, to seven needy families in the township.

NORTH BRUNSWICK — An elementary school nurse’s job description includes healing tummy aches, making boo-boos go away and making children feel better. At Livingston Park Elementary School, the nurse’s office undertakes an additional responsibility every holiday season to do just that.

For the last nine years Diana Whalen has worked in the nurse’s office, the school’s staff, faculty and parents have combined efforts to purchase gifts for families at Livingston Park in need of assistance during the Thanksgiving and December holiday seasons.

“It’s amazing, the spirit of giving people have in this school,” she said.

During November, the staff signed up to donate fresh foods such as turkeys, potatoes, carrots, celery, stuffing, cranberry sauce, dessert and a fruit basket to six families in need of a Thanksgiving meal. Students then decorated gingerbread houses that accompanied the two baskets of food sent to each family, which was funded in part by the Student Council.

A memorable moment was when a child of a family who didn’t provide a wish list in time approached Whalen at the office after she sent a package home anyway.

“After the holiday he said to me, ‘Mrs. Whalen, that turkey was so good and we ate the candy off of the gingerbread. ... We have so much food now we don’t have to go shopping for weeks.’”

For the December holiday toy drive, seven families provided wish list items from their children for the school to purchase, all asked to be under $30 each. Parents and faculty chose from 125 available mittens from the Mitten Tree, which were coded to protect the confidentiality of the students.

Whalen said that one of the most touching stories was a young girl standing in front of the bulletin board, noticing that a fellow student asked for socks for Christmas.

“She said, ‘I want to get a toy but can we also get socks?’ For someone to ask for socks, it made such an impression. They wound up taking two mittens, one for a toy and one for the socks. It leaves an impression on kids that they make other children feel as good as they do around the holidays,” Whalen said.

Another positive aspect was the fact that most volunteers donated gifts above and beyond what was asked for by the children. If a listed item was a Bratz doll, several accessories accompanied it. If a baby doll was asked for, parents purchased a high chair, crib, and other doll components to go with it.

“They don’t just buy one thing. If it says a pair of pants, they buy several pairs of pants or several sweaters or sweatshirts,” Whalen said.

Parents also go out of their way to account for the individuality of the children.

“Often, parents call to ask about what nationality the kids are. I think that’s really thoughtful. Most people think if it’s a Barbie to get a blonde one, but some are sensitive to the nationality ... so the kids have something that relates to their heritage,” she said.

Or, if a child wants an expensive toy such as a GameBoy, Whalen will separate the gift into separate gift cards so several students can chip in. She also places gift certificates on the board to provide for the family as a whole during the season.

“These aren’t so fun to buy ... but it is so [parents] don’t have to take money out of their own monies,” she said.

ShopRite and Pathmark also made gift card contributions this year. Since it is complicated to do both gifts and food for December, families are also referred to the North Brunswick Food Bank for nutritional assistance.

Over the remainder of the school year, the school nurse refers the families to the township food bank, the Lions Club and Middlesex County organizations to assist with financial, gas and electric and insurance problems.

“We are referring them out to community resources throughout the year depending on their need,” Whalen said. “It’s more health and well-being oriented than gift-giving.”

Whalen is expecting to deliver the gifts to the families by next week. If a parent is unable to come to the school to get the gifts, she will personally deliver them to their house herself.

“They don’t have to say anything,” she said of the parents’ reactions to the gifts. “Just the look on their faces and seeing everything their kids wanted ... I cry every year. They know to leave me a box of tissues on my desk when they pick the gifts up. That’s what the season is about; everybody having a little bit of joy this time of year is so rewarding.”

In September, Whalen once again expects to write a column for the principal’s newsletter asking for families to contact her if they need assistance for the upcoming year.

“The motto is ‘Take a mitten and warm a child’s heart.’ I think that’s a driving factor in continuing this program,” she said.