The spirit of giving has been awakened this holiday season inside a Menominee reservation school, and it is not going away anytime soon.
Employees at Menominee Indian Middle School launched a gift drive for students whose families were struggling financially during the holiday season.
Donations from school staff and the community were so abundant that every student in the school had a chance to select presents for themselves and for members of their families.
“It’s been something real special,” Principal Tim Meyers said.
So much so that organizers have decided to keep the drive going after the holidays and continue to help families in need throughout the rest of the school year.
Organizer Gena Kakkak said the special holiday effort demonstrated that despite significant needs within the impoverished Menominee Indian Tribe, the spirit of generosity runs deep.
“It just took off,” Kakkak said. “Our community came together.”
The gift drive, dubbed “Second Chances” by a student who won a naming contest, takes place in a room that had been vacant inside the middle school. It was conceived by Kakkak, the school’s parent involvement coordinator, and by Tracie Ourada, the school’s social worker.
School staffers usually organize an adopt-a-family drive or other benefit during the holiday season. They decided to attempt something larger this year to reach more families.
The idea was to fill the school’s vacant room with donated or gently used merchandise and then invite students to pick out free presents to take home. The school has about 150 sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders.
When employees at nearby Menominee Tribal Enterprises heard about the effort, they took up a collection and donated $100 cash, which Kakkak and Ourada used to purchase the first supply of merchandise. That was followed by other donations of toys, clothing, jewelry and more.
As word spread throughout the school and the community, donors showed up with bags and boxes filled with more goodies.
Ourada said she was touched by the outpouring of generosity, especially among people of modest means themselves.
“That’s the really cool thing,” she said.
Before long, organizers realized that the Second Chances room had enough inventory to treat not only the neediest families in the middle school — but every family.
Organizers even provided wrapping paper so that students could get their presents ready to go home.
For Serenity Barnes, it was a rare opportunity to surprise her family with gifts that she never could have acquired otherwise.
The 13-year-old picked out a decorative calendar for her mother, clothing for her little sister, and a Yahtzee game for her grandmother. She felt proud to treat her family to presents this holiday season. She did not pick out a gift for herself.
“I always put people first before me,” she said.
Organizers said they expected to finish the holiday season with some merchandise still on hand. They also are confident that donations will keep the Second Chances room filled all year long.
“When we do something for our kids,” Kakkak said, “the community really comes together.”
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