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Lakewood Times

Lakewood Times

Lakewood Times

    Elf Week: A Senior Tradition

    Elf Week: A Senior Tradition

    Deck the halls with boughs of holly– Fa la la la la, La la la la. There is a ton of festivity in the halls of Lakewood High School this week; the Class of 2019 has a group of volunteers dressing up as elves to collect donations for Toys for Tots.

    Toys for Tots is a donation based program that the United States Marine Corps Reserve started. Major Bill Hendricks started the program in 1947. The purpose of Toys for Tots is to collect toys and give them to children who do not receive gifts for Christmas due to their situation.

    The program has grown tremendously, when it originated they gave an estimated 5,000 gifts. Now Toy for Tots is nationally known and has an estimated 300% growth.

    Typically, people donate new toys to the program, but here at Lakewood High School, the seniors dress up as elves. The elves collect cash donations that go towards the purchase of gifts. You will often find the elves giving out candy canes or chocolates. If you see an elf and you donate and request a song, the elves are rumored to sing.

    Lakewood High School got involved with the Toys for Tots organization a while back; Dennis Ebner, a teacher, said, “It has been happening for as long as I’ve been here (27 years).”

    Wendy Powers, a mother of a current elf,  also stated, “I think this senior event is a great way to spread Christmas cheer and helping a great cause.”

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