CINCINNATI — A West End school is asking for the public's help to make sure more than 200 kids have a gift to open this holiday season.
This is a neighborhood where WCPO has often reported on violence, with city data showing there have been 32 shootings so far this year. City leaders have told WCPO, they're committed to solving this problem.
At the Cincinnati College Preparatory Academy, the teachers are committed to making sure their students get to be kids and experience the magic many associate with the holiday season. One way they're doing this is with their Santa Initiative.
It's been going on for years, making sure students who might not otherwise receive anything have presents on Christmas Day.
Teachers and other staff members at the school nominate students they believe might need help. Their parents then complete a questionnaire letting volunteers know what they want or need. Volunteers — or "elves" — will buy the students gifts, bringing presents to the school.
“Some of these kids, they don’t have a whole lot of magic the rest of the year. I think what I feel so good about is knowing these kids are going to have just a good old fashioned Christmas, like a kid should," said Amy Rubenstein, the CCPA staff member running the initiative this year.
Rubenstein said volunteers can sponsor a child or a family, buy from their Amazon wishlist or even just donate.
Some teachers at the school, like Christiane Sweeney, use the money that's donated to go shopping for the students. Sometimes, they're shopping for students they know personally, so when the kids come back from Christmas break, they get to hear all about those presents.
“They just come back and they want to tell you everything that they got," Sweeney said. "It’s just a lot of joy, a lot of excitement."
Rubenstein said they've only collected gifts for about a quarter of the 229 students in need so far. They're hoping for a Christmas miracle to make sure all of the kids have something special this year.
"This is a way to just make sure that kids can be kids and have just that magic on Christmas that every kid deserves," Rubenstein said.
Anyone interested in participating can find more information here.
Watch Live:
