Filling wishes: Our Town gives back to the community this holiday

“Unicorns, dolls, crafts.” “Board games, sports, robots.”

This Christmas morning, the wish lists of some of Suffolk County’s neediest children will be fulfilled, thanks to the efforts of a school club that instills the importance and joy of giving in Northport-East Northport students in grades four through twelve.

The students are part of Our Town, a districtwide community service club led by high school social studies teachers David Scott and Bill Slagle. Our Town students at the elementary, middle and high school levels spent the past few weeks brainstorming ways to inform their communities about their annual toy drive, a longstanding tradition that puts toys and other gifts in the hands of children in emergency foster care and homeless shelters right here in Suffolk County.

Our Town outreach included fliers, school announcements and social media posts that involved the larger community. Collection boxes were placed at all of the district's schools, and in the Brosnan building; many of them were filled multiple times with new, unwrapped toys during the collection, thanks to the generosity of district families and other community members.

Last Tuesday, December 19, all donations were brought by the student representatives and their families to Northport High School, where they were sorted into categories by student volunteers. The Our Town students then worked directly with local attorneys, social and case workers to put together gift bags for specific children in their caseloads. Our Town student reps were each handed a bag labeled with a gift recipient’s name, age, and gift preferences. The bags were filled by the students, with toys and other gifts they thought the children in need would appreciate.

It was quite a sight: cafeteria tables brimming with donations, the students discussing with their friends or siblings or parents the wish lists they were fulfilling and deliberating over what toys the gift recipients might like best.

The joy when someone found the perfect stuffed animal or action figure, a warm winter hat or much-needed toiletry to give, was palpable, as was the recognition – especially by the younger kids – that though they too may have wanted some of the toys on the cafeteria tables, it was a gift and a blessing to be able to pass it forward, to a child whose holiday would be defined this year by the generosity of others.

Our Town has been an integral part of the district for over 20 years. Its goal, according to Mr. Scott, is “to unite students from all the schools in the district in a common mission of community service.”

For the holiday toy drive, student clubs including Our Town joined with the Children’s Law Bureau of the Legal Aid Society to assist Suffolk County’s neediest children. In addition to the toys donated, the Our Town drive brought in over $1,250 in cash and gift card donations that will be distributed to the program’s teenagers so that they can shop for essentials – many request clothes and toiletries – themselves.

“We’ve been doing this now for 25 years and you can see that this community has been tremendously supportive because of the hard work that you’ve done to get the word out to help support this very worthy cause,” Scott said to the room of Our Town students last week. “I just want to say, for me, from the bottom of my heart, I’m really deeply appreciative of what you did to make this possible.” Scott also thanked the representatives present from the Office of Attorneys for Children (formerly the Law Guardian program) and the Children’s Law Bureau, which provides legal representation to children in family court matters, some of whom have been the victims of parental abuse or neglect and are the subjects of guardianship proceedings or custody and visitation disputes.

“I also want to share my deep appreciation for what you folks do every day for the kids of Suffolk County,” Scott said to the bureau’s representatives. “We know how hard it can be, just as a teacher, to be an advocate for kids and I think we’re all on the same page; we want what’s best for the kids and I know that’s what you want too. We’re really truly grateful to have this opportunity to support you in the work that you do.”

“Many of our clients, just by the nature of being in family court, means there are problems going on in their family that they need the court to help out with so it puts the kids in an unfortunate circumstance,” said Deputy Bureau Chief John Belmonte at the gathering. Some of the kids benefiting from the donations are in foster care or are being raised by people who aren’t their parents and are hurting financially, “so the holiday can be a real struggle,” Belmonte said. “It’s amazing what you guys do every year, and I think you outdid yourselves this year,” he said, looking over the cafeteria tables with donations. “Thank you so much for everything you do.”

As part of its ongoing pledge to give back to the community, the Northport Journal donated $250 to the Our Town efforts this holiday.