Holiday programs this Christmas for gift assistance not only bring the Heritage community together but also give back to the community of Rogers.
Different families experience different things, and the upcoming holidays are always meant to be a fun experience. The most important thing about the holidays is to spend it with the ones you love most, like family and friends, to connect and bask in each other’s presence. Money can be difficult for people to acquire, which is why holiday assistance programs can be found everywhere. This assistance is to help people obtain gifts for their loved ones in the case that they are struggling to get presents. There are many different programs for this. Churches, charities, shelters and more can provide needed help, with the addition that all these programs are completely free.
Heritage is once again hosting its annual toy drive for Arkansas Children’s Hospital is a drive sponsored by New Tech High School, LULAC, and LEAD. They collect toys to pass them out to children who are in hospitals during the festive season. It will be hosted from Dec. 2 through Dec. 12, with the dropoff locations being rooms B107, D107, and F111.
Friends of Rogers are also dedicating themselves to holding a present drive. The dates are from Nov. 19th to Dec. 9th. The dropoff location is upstairs of the main gym by concessions.
“I think [Christmas Charities are] important because everyone deserves Christmas. I feel like as high school kids age, they get forgotten about most of the time and it’s important to remember that they’re still kids and they deserve Christmas,” said social worker Amy Reed.
Her statement highlights the importance of Christmas for kids of all ages. Most of the youth begin to lose the holiday spirit and assume that just because they’re growing older means that they are required to be less enthusiastic about it. Despite this, Christmas is meant to be celebrated by everyone, no matter what age you are.
When asked about her opinion of how these charities benefit our community, Reed answered by stating, “There are a lot of people that struggle financially in this area and have kids and families to take care of. Getting extra help at Christmas is important and a huge weight off parents shoulders.”
This comment goes to show that holiday programs are beneficial to our community because they allow kids and their families to have the full Christmas experience of opening presents and spending quality time with family despite personal financial situations at home.
“The Rogers community serves us all the time so this is one way that our community can serve those who support us. What’s amazing about Heritage is War Eagles are very generous and very caring,” said Principal Chip Greenwell.
