Hilton eighth graders (l-r) Tessa McElligott, Katie Gebo, and Evelina Kalenik with the mountain of toys donated to the Society for the Protection and Care of Children’s Teddy Bear Project. Merton Williams Middle School students and staff have been participating in the project for over a decade.For more than a decade, Pam Tenny, a social studies teacher at Merton Williams Middle School, has rallied students, staff and families to help out the Society for the Protection and Care of Children (SPCC) by participating in the Teddy Bear Project. Dozens of little cards with information about a child’s interests, sizes, favorite color, and wish for the holidays are given to Tenny every holiday season. Then students and the Merton Williams’ staff spring into action fulfilling each child’s wants and needs. Toys and clothing are purchased, and wish lists completed for between 75 and 100 children every year. The children range in age from infants to age 17.
“We’re giving to kids that don’t have much and don’t expect to wake up to gifts on Christmas morning,” said eighth grader Katie Gebo.
Evelina Kalenik, also an eighth grader, bought a large set of princess dolls and construction blocks to donate. “I wish I had a camera there so I could see their faces when they open the gifts,” she said.
For information on the SPCC, visit www.spcc-roch.org.
