Newcomers to Canada receive Christmas packages from students at Holy Names Catholic High School, December 9, 2016. (Photo by Maureen Revait)Newcomers to Canada receive Christmas packages from students at Holy Names Catholic High School, December 9, 2016. (Photo by Maureen Revait)
Windsor

Santa's Helpers Give Back to Newcomers

After learning about the crisis in Syria and the refugees coming to Canada a grade 12 World Issues class wanted to do something to help.

The students at Holy Names Catholic High School organized a goods and toy drive to put together gift packs this Christmas for new comers to Canada.

"It was really student driven, the students made announcements at school, they made posters, they talked to their friends," says teacher John Chittaro. "Really in the end we want to inform people about the plight of the refugees and now that they're here we can drop that term. They are newcomers. They are Canadians."

They called themselves the S.A.N.T.A.'s Helpers, Students Assisting Newcomers to Adapt.

"It was pretty awesome. Coming here, we each gave a bag to a family, we saw a lot of kids faces light up which was amazing. Sorting through all the bags and seeing everything we collected it feels like we're actually really making a difference here," says Grade 12 student William Borshuk.

The gifts were distributed through the Multicultural Council of Windsor Essex.

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