Boyce spreads holiday joy through giving
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Annual traditions play an important role especially during the holidays. For more than 25 years, Boyce Middle School students have embraced the tradition of helping others in need through the school’s annual holiday service project.
Coordinated by school counselors Amy Antonio and Tonia Autieri, Boyce Middle School partnered with the Children’s Home of Pittsburgh and the Lemieux Center to provide gifts for children and families who are supported by the organization.
The Children’s Home of Pittsburgh is an independent nonprofit dedicated to promoting the health and well-being of infants and children. Each year, it serves nearly 400 families through its Adoption and Permanency Services, Child's Way daycare center, Pediatric Specialty Hospital, and Pediatric VIEW program.
“Many of the children at the Children’s Home of Pittsburgh are medically fragile and the holidays can be a very stressful time for families,” Mrs. Autieri said. “Boyce students assembled gift bags for the families in hopes of bringing added joy to the season.”
Over a three-week period beginning in mid-November, students collected donations for themed gift bags. Each bag was designed to brighten the holidays with practical and festive items:
- Snow Day: hats, gloves, puzzles, card games, and children’s books
- Cozy Night In: throw blankets, fuzzy socks, and gingerbread kits
- Cookie Baskets: cookie mix, sprinkles, frosting, and cookie cutters
- Hot Cocoa Bags: holiday cups, hot chocolate mix, marshmallows, stirring sticks, and cookie tins
Students decorated and assembled the bags during their guidance classes in early December. On Dec. 10, a group of fifth and sixth graders accompanied Antonio and Autieri to deliver the gifts to the Children’s Home.
The school counselors set a goal to provide 200 gift bags.
“We filled 244 bags for the Children's Home! Plus, we had boxes of additional supplies to keep their pantries well stocked for the next few months,” Mrs. Antonio said. “We are so appreciative of the support this project receives from the Boyce school community. By the end of the collection, our classroom was packed with donations!”
Boyce Middle School’s service project not only uplifts families during the holidays but also teaches students valuable lessons about empathy, kindness, and the importance of giving back.
“Through community service, we hope our students develop and nurture the belief that an integral part of self-fulfillment comes through the act of giving,” Mrs. Autieri said.
- Boyce