What we take for granted, other people are praying for. This includes many things, from a permanent home to always having food on the table. As a school, Notre Dame strives to help people in our community as much as we can. During the Christmas season, we focus on giving Christmas gifts to underprivileged children in the Green Bay area.

Notre Dame has been doing give-a-gift for over ten years. The program of give-a-gift was started by St. Laura Zelten who wanted to help those in need.

“Give a Gift is something that I love coordinating every year. It is a Student Government activity and makes such an impact on these families. It is such a magical time of the year and to be able to help children who may not receive toys at Christmas is a tremendous feeling,” said Mrs. Gina Fredrick, one of the Student Government advisers and Director of Technology.

The names for give-a-gift are received from a local Green Bay school, and the parents can pick up the gifts at Notre Dame on designated nights. If the parents are unable to pick up the gifts, the gifts are delivered or members of the local school reach out to the parents to make sure the children get their gifts.

Students were able to pick up tags at the atrium desk or sign up online, and all names are picked every year. All the names are children under 18 years old.

Every year, the families are always thankful for the Christmas gifts the Notre Dame students, parents and staff purchase for the children.

“They all say thank you when they pick up the gifts and some even send cards after Christmas,” said Fredrick.

The main goal of give-a-gift is “to help area families have a brighter Christmas season,” she added. “I think it shows how just a small $25 toy can make a child’s Christmas completely different.”

What is a small price to us may be the only gift a child gets at Christmas. Even just one person can make a difference.

“The Notre Dame Academy community is so generous to this project each year, and it amazes me how many lives we can touch,” said Fredrick.