School system's 'Giving Tree' project connects children with gifts

Christmas will be merry for 470 children in the Manatee County School District who might not have had any gifts to open this year, if not for the efforts of the district’s social workers and a host of community volunteers.

The school system’s “Giving Tree” project, spearheaded by Kami Lake, counselor at Bayshore and Rogers Garden-Bullock elementary schools, brought in a roomful of toys for children in need.

Social workers identified children at their school who they knew were not likely to receive much, if anything, for Christmas. Working with those children, they created wish lists, then coordinated with businesses and individual donors to ensure those children got what they wanted for Christmas.

Lake said the wish lists were indicative of how needy many of the children are. “We had a middle school student ask for a book on how to handle stress, and I thought, ‘Wow, good for her,’” Lake said. “They’ll ask for a backpack, and there are a lot of requests for school supplies."

Those gifts — along with several bikes, balls, toys and clothes — filled a room at the district’s Professional Support Center. On Monday school counselors picked up the presents and will distribute them to families who wouldn’t likely have presents under the tree next week.

Lake said the annual gift program is also about encouraging the community to be generous.

“For me, being a school social worker, this is where social workers shine — teaching those who are giving that this kindness can spread,” Lake said. “It’s not just throwing an unwrapped toy in a bin; they know the student's name, they hear me chat about the family, and there is more enthusiasm.”