Prospect Park kids learn true meaning of Christmas
“We’ve always looked at it as a teaching lesson for the kids. So many families are struggling out there. Our kids are so blessed. We hope by instilling the importance of giving to others that they will carry this tradition forward the rest of their lives.”
— Angel Ritz, an employee at Joseph Anthony Salon and Spa in Springfield
PROSPECT PARK » While some local children sit around griping about what they aren’t able to do this holiday season because of pandemic restrictions, a group of kids in Prospect Park found out there’s a lot they can do - to not only brighten their own Christmas season, but to infuse a lot of joy into the season for other children as well.
Prospect Park residents Aubrey MacWilliams, Joey Matteo, Riley Coghlan, Anthony Ritz, Angelina Ritz, Cole Roman, Cheyenne Dean, Austin Dean, Sean Gentile, A nthony Gentile, Bella Carroll, Danny Carroll, Jake Caravan, and Gian Ucciferri banded together in a Christmas goodwill project to help other children in their community who aren’t as fortunate as they are.
Anthony and Angel Ritz and their three children have made it a holiday tradition to give back to the community and help others each year. Angelina Ritz, 11, a fifth-grade student at Prospect Park School, enjoyed the holiday goodwill effort so much that she began to get her friends involved.
“We’ve always looked at it as a teaching lesson for the kids,” explained Angel, who works at Joseph Anthony Salon and Spa in Springfield. “So many families are struggling out there. Our kids are so blessed. We hope by instilling the importance of giving to others that they will carry this tradition forward the rest of their lives.”
Through the years, the Ritz family has helped the homeless and adopted families every Christmas season. When the need for more families to be adopted kept growing, the Ritz family engaged others in their neighborhood to help in their effort and they got an enthusiastic, generous response. When local children discovered early on, as Angelina did, that there’s as much, if not more, satisfaction in giving than receiv ing, more and more became involved. With the help of their parents, the children collected toys almost daily.
The parents and children, mostly ages 10-12, began their season of giving by finding some families in the community who could use some extra cheer. They put a notice out on Facebook that got widely shared and soon people in the community contacted them. Additionally, Bernadette Roman, Cole’s mom, reached out to the Interboro School District administration to identify some families who are struggling and could use some extra help to make the season brighter.
This Christmas, the young Prospect Park residents are helping fourteen families, which include almost 40 children.
“We found out the children’s ages, their genders, their sizes and their wish lists,” explained Angel Ritz. “We are giving every family a $100 Giant gift card and each child w ill get ten toys, and everything from bikes and jackets to pajamas and electronics. The teenagers get gift cards, makeup, footballs, Game Stop gift cer tif icates, purses, and other things that would appeal to their age group.”
Ritz said the wish lists received aren’t any different than
“This year, we received more contributions from our members and friends, more than ever before, because I think we all recognized how great the need is this year.”
— Mike Ritz is president of the St. James High School Alumni Association
any child’s w ish list this Christmas. Wishes include Legos, Barbie dolls, arts and crafts, blankets, sports gear, and super hero figures.
In addition to soliciting toy donations from family and friends, the children held a community toy drive in the center of the borough at Prospect Park Square in early December. They weathered the cold for three hours and collected more toys than they could count. To give their toy drive one last boost, Angelina was invited by her Uncle Mike Ritz to come down to the Saint James Doghouse in Eddystone to get more toys and clothes to fulfill their adopted families’ needs.
Mike Ritz is president of the St. James High School Alumni Association. Every December the SJHS alumni hold a massive toy and clothing drive for children in need, collecting hundreds of toys. This year was no different. The drive on Dec. 9 and 10 yielded hundreds of toys and articles of clothing that the men distributed to local organizations to help struggling families.
“This year, we received more contributions from our members and friends, more than ever before, because I think we all recognized how great the need is this year,” Mike Ritz stated.
Mike said he is not only incredibly proud, year after year, of the St. James
Bulldogs’ generosit y, but he is also proud of his young great niece Angelina for carrying the tradition of giving that was started by her great grandfather, Amelio Ritz.
“When Angelina came down the Doghouse to pick up some items for the adopted families, I showed her a photo of my father, whom she never had the privilege of meeting. I told her that he would be so proud of her carrying on the family legacy of helping others,” Ritz stated. “My father, who owned an oil business and ice cream business in Chester would anonymously leave generous gifts for families that he knew were struggling. He was always helping others.”
The Prospect Park children were able to supply every family with appropriate gifts, including three young babies and one child with autism, whom they gifted with a variety of sensory toys. They collected such an abundance, that they were able to donate some overstock to The Delco Group for their annual Sassy Massy toy drive.
The local adopted families were given a pick-up or delivery option. Either way, the group of generous Prospect Park children were ready and willing to give a hand and load up the cars.
“Families are really, really grateful for this help,” Angel said. “It seems so many are struggling this year and these kids have big hearts. I am so proud of all these young kids. They were all so happy to do this!”