Students from Madison Academy make Christmas extra special for those experiencing homelessness.
Six years ago, Andrew Jamieson and his family served lunch to a mother with three young children staying at the Mission. Touched by her story, they soon returned and hosted a “Christmas Party” for this family.
Inspired by his experience, Andrew couldn’t help but wonder how they could serve more families than just this one. Then it came to him—as the Vice Principal at Madison Academy, he had an incredible group of kids who could help host a party for the women and children staying at the Mission.
That first year, the school hosted more than 30 women and children. Last year, they needed two buses to carry the 60+ women and children from the Mission who joined the students and staff from Madison Academy for a Christmas party in the school’s gymnasium.
“Our gymnastics team set everything up,” shared Andrew. “Christmas music played in the background while students served the families an Italian dinner. Afterward, the school’s gymnastics team put on an interactive tumbling show. After that, we passed out gifts and gave the kids a chance to meet Santa and get their picture made. Quite a few of the women loved this too. It was a wonderful time of fun and fellowship. It’s something our students look forward to doing every year.”
“My favorite part is handing out the gifts and seeing the smiles on their faces!” said Carly Mosely, a senior at Madison Academy. “Also, I love how the kids look up to me and want to be involved in the gymnastics show.”
“When we first started this, I wasn’t sure what to expect,” said Brock Anderson, also a senior at Madison Academy. “I’m not a very emotional guy, but this event has definitely had a big impact on me.”
Andrew believes a night like this is a blessing for everyone involved. “We hope it blesses the women and children to spend an evening away from the Mission with us. I know the students get a lot out of it too. It requires hard work, but at the end of the night, they look around and realize just how much fun they had serving others. Many of them don’t want to see it end.”
