North Marion Schools Help Hundreds with Giving Tree Events

By Jillian Daley

Local students, staff, and families united to provide hundreds of gifts for people in need this December with two Giving Tree events.

During the annual Giving Tree toy-raiser at the High and Middle schools, the North Marion community delivered 300 presents to children. Meanwhile, the Primary and Intermediate schools provided gifts to 150 people. Both the preK–5 and 6–12 events involve a host of supporters on campus and in the wider community who work together to bring joy to families during the harshness of winter.

How HS/MS Giving Tree Supports Love Santa

Middle School Media Assistant Marie Jones, who manages the library, has been rallying the North Marion community around the Giving Tree event for 20 years. After all this time, the event still means a great deal to Jones. Yet she is retiring at the end of the school year, so her eyes were a little mistier than usual when students and staff came by the library for the final day of the Giving Tree event on Dec. 8. Jones was showing her appreciation with a photo shoot of the Where Everyone Belongs (WEB) students and leadership kids, who created window displays and marketing materials at the school to promote the Giving Tree.

“This is my last one,” Jones told the children, as well as Teacher Kara Handran, Student Services Specialist Brad Horton, and Counselor Renee Hanson. “You can help the staff and the new librarian next year.”

The gift collection finished up earlier this week, and now it was time to cart the presents to three waiting vehicles bound for delivery, all driven by the Love Santa, Inc. team. The HS/MS Giving Tree event is possible with the guidance of Love Santa, a nonprofit organization in Woodburn that puts the donated toys into the hands of people who might not otherwise have a gift for their children during the holidays. Local donations are directed to about 80 families in Donald, Woodburn, and Aurora, but Love Santa, with help from people all over the region, will be helping a total of 400 families in Marion and Polk counties. 

“The whole idea is you don’t have 10 families delivering to one family and one family getting nothing,” said James Audritsh II, a member of the Love Santa Board.

The Love Santa team will be delighting families with brightly wrapped packages on Dec. 17. Locals certainly have done their part to help, providing not only hundreds of gifts but also at least $700. That’s not even the end for North Marion’s generosity! The Primary and Intermediate schools also hold a Giving Tree event each year. 

All About the IS/PS Giving Tree Event

Love Santa is the main supporter for the HS/MS event, but ten groups combined to make the Intermediate and Primary schools’ event come to pass. The two schools worked together and also had help from a generous local family who gave enough to cover an entire family, plus these seven organizations: Aurora Presbyterian Church, Christ Lutheran Church in Aurora, St. Agnes Church in Hubbard, North Marion Fellowship Church (which meets at the Primary School), Bricks for North Marion, North Marion PTO, and Maps Community Foundation (which donated food boxes), said Patti Reeves, Primary School Counselor and PS event coordinator.

“A big thank-you to Kiley Melbrech for coordinating the Intermediate School's Giving Tree and also being the point of contact for Maps Community Foundation,” Reeves said. “Rubi Contreras communicated with all of the Spanish-speaking families and also helped in translating for some of the outside organizations. Lastly, we are so thankful for Assistant Chief Mike Corless and the Aurora Fire Department for opening up their conference room at the Donald Station and letting us store gifts there.”

There were quite a few gifts to stow away. This event provides presents to all family members, and the Intermediate and Primary schools provided gifts for 31 families, about 150 people. The community also donates money throughout the year to make sure that all families on the preK–5 list can receive a gift.

“This is a whirlwind of a program every year, and we are immensely grateful to our community and their generosity in supporting our families!” Reeves said.

To share story ideas on the North Marion School District, please email Communications Specialist Jillian Daley at jillian.daley@nmarion.k12.or.us.