Selfless Holiday Service Present Throughout School

As Heathwood Hall prepares for the holidays, the spirit of giving can be found all over campus. With a variety of noble causes serving as beneficiaries, students in each division led the charge in spreading holiday cheer by helping those in need.

In the Early Childhood Learning Center, our little ones gave gifts of clothes and toys to other young children (ages 0-3) at the nearby Arthurtown Child Development Center. Before loading their gifts for final delivery however, their offerings were first blessed during chapel service and then wrapped by our Merry Moms (in preschool), by our parents (in nursery school), or by our kindergarteners at a wrapping station. With gifts wrapped and ready for delivery, ECLC students started their holiday season in grand fashion, spreading cheer and giving those in need the greatest gifts of all.

In the Lower School, students worked to help battered women and their children through the non-profit organization SisterCare, collecting various items including baby food, diapers, toiletries and cleaning supplies, toys, paper products, and school supplies. After donations were gathered and presented during the last chapel service of the year, fourth-graders (pictured below holding Christmas stockings from left to right) Isaiah Caldwell, Ford Reynolds, Riana Shelley, Ava Grace Rosenbaum, Wallace Truluck, and Ryan Davis helped load the Heathwood Hall bus for final delivery.

Meanwhile, Intermediate/Middle School students took part in a couple of different efforts. In addition to helping Tripp’s Fine Cleaners with their annual Coats for Kids project, students also gathered goods for Project Pass It On. Working alongside representatives from Two Men and a Truck and with boxes and materials also supplied by the moving company, students gathered nearly 50 boxes of assorted of items for various charities including books, toys, clothes, games, pet supplies, canned goods, office supplies, and more. Receiving these donations were three different charities this year; the Richland County Public Library, His House, and Pets Inc.

Eighth-grade students also participated in a unique and wonderful effort, preparing what are known as Annabelle Baskets. These baskets contain a variety of items that are provided to infants at MUSC who are undergoing heart surgery. The name comes from Annabelle Butcher, a young girl who passed away approximately three years ago while undergoing heart treatments at MUSC. Upon her passing, Annabelle’s parents decided to create these baskets in her memory. Heathwood Hall and our students were truly honored to take part in the project.

In the Upper School, there were also several efforts taking place simultaneously with students participating in Families Helping Families and National Honor Society volunteers helping to “ring the bells” and sing Christmas carols for the Salvation Army at Walmart in West Columbia. The Men in Plaid and Pretty in Plaid, Heathwood’s singing groups, also helped to get the Christmas season off to a great start by taking to the Statehouse steps in order to kick off the Salvation Army’s effort with some Christmas cheer and music.

Heathwood Hall, from our youngest to our eldest, is proud and honored to have taken part in these wonderful initiatives and helped our neighbors in need this holiday season.

Would you like to see more of what's been happening here at Heathwood this holiday season? Click here to view our Christmas time at Heathwood slideshow