Adopt A Family

Helping those in need

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Presents, wrapped in bright colors and standing out to the eye, fill the foyer. Impossible to miss even if you tried. There are hundreds stacked and ready to be opened by children and families alike.

This is the scene every year for Carmel’s annual charity drive, which work to provide presents for those in the Lake County area that normally would not be able to afford them. Presents can go to small, medium or large families, depending on which size a homeroom selects. Hundreds of families are helped each year by this program, which is currently run by administrative assistant to the principal Lori Bishop and science teacher Peggy Halloran.

All of the presents go to local families who come in contact with Catholic Charities. The family then makes a list of the gifts that they want for Christmas, a list which is then passed on to Carmel homerooms. Teachers like social studies teacher Julie Donner are also involved in minor ways in the organization.

“I know that one year, there was a homeroom and two of the students in the homeroom were concerned they weren’t giving enough,” Donner said. “A couple of the kids from that homeroom went out and got bicycles for the family. You just see the program bring out the best in our students.”