As students filed into the multipurpose room at Cottonwood Elementary they were greeted with a big bright smile by none other than Jolly Old St. Nicholas himself. Except the difference between this encounter and any other typical Santa Claus meeting was that the children were the gift-givers.
Like several other special guests at Cottonwood Elementary that morning, Santa was there to graciously accept a large bucket of presents donated by Cottonwood students to go toward a charitable organization – in Santa’s case, the Road Home.
“Each classroom has voted on a different charity or philanthropy,” said Cottonwood principal Paulette McMillan. “We want our students to look beyond their circle of family and friends and give to others in our community.”
Tears were shed by representatives who accepted the gifts and provided a brief explanation of how the donations will be used to lift those in need.
Here’s the list of charities that received gifts at Cottonwood’s assembly:
Best Friends Animal Sanctuary of Utah
Primary Children’s Life Services