This December, Concordia again spear-headed a campus-wide holiday drive that brought much-needed supplies, clothing and gifts to charitable organizations across Southern California and Mexico. Over 100 Concordia members made fleece blankets for hospital patients and school children with special needs; collected backpacks filled with clothing, shoes, toys and toiletries also for the school children, and for orphans in Mexicali and Sonora; and, helped sponsor Christmas parties for these children to receive their gifts. Laura Fabbri, Bishop Spanish teacher and Concordia moderator, was thrilled with this year’s results: “Each holiday, Concordia impacts hundreds of lives, but this year was particularly special. The Bishop community was extremely generous with donations, so the students were able to do so much to help those who needed us during the Christmas season.”
The holiday drive, which actually began in September when Concordia members began soliciting monetary and item donations for their effort, proved to be well-received by the organizations it reached. Sr. Margaret, Director of Covenant House, a shelter for the homeless and victims of domestic abuse, shared her appreciation directly with Fabbri, letting her know that the Bishop Montgomery community can always be counted on by Covenant House to come through when needed. Torrance Memorial Hospital featured the Bishop students who delivered 25 hand-made, gift-wrapped blankets for patients in their monthly newsletter Newsbreak, and sent Fabbri a letter with “sincere thanks for all of the wonderful blankets… donated to [the] hospital.” Thankful for the donation of hand-made blankets and stuffed animals, 1736 Family Crisis Center in Redondo Beach also sent a letter of thanks to Fabbri noting that Concordia’s donation “directly benefits [their] clients and makes an immediate impact on their lives.”
Though Concordia receives the most visibility for their efforts at Christmas time, club members work year-round serving communities in the South Bay, across Southern California and beyond. Though the students receive no monetary or academic compensation in return for their efforts, they continue to step forward to be a part of the service movement because, as junior Kelly Hugo explains, “Just the smile on [recipients’] faces is enough for me. I do it to help other people have a better life, to bring smiles to their faces during hard times. Knowing you made someone’s life better is the best reward of all.”