Triumphant squeals of joy filled the Episcopal Children’s Services for Kids locations on Thursday as Operation Impact passed out Christmas gifts to students.
Operation Impact adopted ECS4Kids as a community partner earlier this year to provide classroom supplies, and for the holidays the organization used wish lists from parents to do a “Target Takeover.”
Team members wrapped the gifts, and each student got a bag full of them, opening one on Thursday and taking the rest back for Christmas day.
Operation Impact’s annual “Holiday Impact” initiative focuses on providing children holiday gifts that they would not otherwise receive. According to the program website, each child’s every $200 – $250 provides one child presents “fit to their wishes.”
Episcopal Children’s Services, or ECS4Kids, provides early childhood education such as VPK, Head Start and School Readiness for underserved children in Northeast and Central Florida, as well as support and guidance for families seeking high-quality care and educational opportunities. According to its website, ECS4Kids’ mission is to build a strong foundation for each child, ensuring they are prepared for lifelong learning and success.
ECS4Kids’s three locations in Gainesville, and one in Chiefland, all received Christmas gifts.
Oh boy, what fun!!!! As a side note, when I was receiving my Early Childhood Education Certifications, at FSU, JU, UNF, we were taught to make efforts for our students to have books, toys, dolls, etc. which were from all ethnicities–NOT all just White/Caucasian. Looking through these snapshots, I wonder. . .