J. E. Cosgriff Memorial students help those in need

IC photo by Laura V. Sausedo

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A seventh-grade student and part of the council, gives the goodies to the other students during the bake sake to collect money for the Road Home for Candy Cane Corner.

SALT LAKE CITY - Christmas season is a time for celebrations, joy, union and the spirit of helping others. When the need arises, Catholic schools around Utah are quick to lend a hand.

J.E. Cosgriff Memorial Catholic School students worried about the needy during this month of December have been collecting basic necessities and money for the Road Home, a homeless shelter with locations in Salt Lake City and Midvale. Items students have been collecting include socks, hats, gloves, towels, blankets and books.

"Because December is a time of special need, J. E. Memorial Cosgriff School will also be helping our own school and parish community by providing some assistance to needy families for the holidays," said Kayla Smith, director of development and admissions at Cosgriff. "We will supply a few select families from our school and parish with gift certificates and other items to help give them a comfortable and happy Christmas holiday for their families."

The student council hosted a bake sale on Dec. 10; all the money collected from was given directly to the Road Home.

Student council members Caroline Holyoak and Ryan Lindsay, both seventh-graders, were part of the students team that put together the bake sale. Lindsay said that she considered it very important to help people in need, emphasizing that, "This event is really important because there are a lot of people out there that don't have a house and don't have any money, so we're here to gather and donate money to the people that need help this Christmas." "I think some people don't even have enough clothes to wear when it is really cold outside," Holyoak said. While Lindsey and Holyoak collected the money in the sale, Gaby Dobson and Connor Morgan ensured that each purchaser received the goodies. According to Cosgriff Principal Betsy Hunt, the student council has always done a good job in all the community service projects that they select and do every month. To become part of the student council, the students are voted into office by their peers every school year, and every month they select a different charity with which they want to work. The Road House was selected because "several people have lost jobs and the council found that the Road House teaches people to come back to their feet," Hunt said. "For many men, women and children in Utah, a warm coat, socks, wool hat or blanket would be a dream come true."

The students will continue to collect items until Dec. 21.

Cosgriff School attendance is about 385 students in grades pre-kindergarten through eighth. The school was founded in 1957 thanks to the gift from the Cosgriff-Sturdevant families in memory of James E. Cosgriff, who was known for his support of Catholic education in Utah.