Lodi Youth Commission donates Christmas gifts
In the spirit of the season of giving, Lodi teens set out to ensure that their fellow youths don’t go without a gift under the tree.
The Lodi Youth Commission voted to spend some of the $18,000 raised from the November Pigskin dance to support Lodi Adopt-A-Child as one of its service projects for the community.
The group of nine high school students on the commission each adopted a child to buy gifts for and spent time shopping at the Lodi Super Wal-mart on Monday evening. They set out to buy two winter outfits and a toy for each child.
Jennifer Winn, the Youth Commission liaison, said it was nice seeing the faces of these students as they shopped for someone they didn’t even know.
“It really warmed my heart to hear that this is what they wanted to do for the holidays,” Winn said.
Students in the commission have never chosen Lodi Adopt-A-Child as the organization they have donated to before, but it was in line with their mission.
The Youth Commission’s goals are to develop future leaders and supporters of the community, provide an opportunity for young adults to have fun and safe activities, and positively represent young adults in the area, among other community-minded goals.
Students also enjoyed the opportunity to give back to other youth.
“Some people unfortunately don’t have the luxury of getting Christmas presents,” said Christopher Anaforian, a senior student from Lodi High School who is president of the commission. “It was a very enlightening experience, because we’re getting things for someone else when people are usually thinking about themselves and what they want during this time of year. It’s nice knowing you’re getting them something good.”
The gifts were delivered to Lodi Adopt-A-Child on Tuesday morning where they will be delivered to the families in need.
The Lodi Youth Commission also spent time in November donating 300 pounds of canned food to local food banks for Thanksgiving. The teens have several other projects in mind to benefit the community in 2017. They will likely put on their annual school supplies drive in the spring and they are also considering putting on a mock casino night event for teens as another fundraiser among other ideas.