Document text
43 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, January 27, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Opportunities Moving to Southern Oregon? MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend December 18, 2004 Gary Lee George, right, and others at the Medford Gospel Mission accept gifts brought by students of McLoughlin Middle School Friday. George said he appreciated the students taking time to show their Christmas spirit. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli A lesson in giving McLoughlin students reach into the neighborhood to offer simple gifts By ANITA BURKE Mail Tribune Student leaders from McLoughlin Middle School spread a little Christmas cheer Friday around the Medford Gospel Mission, located just blocks from their school. The students brought gifts of socks, gloves, reading glasses, flashlights, batteries, brushes, combs and more. Decked out in Santa and elf hats, they set up a table in the mission parking lot to distribute not only gifts but homemade caramel corn, cookies and coffee to about 50 homeless men at the shelter. "It feels good to help people who don’t have any money," said seventh-grader Shaina Trevino, 13. Students in M.T. Dimick’s leadership class raised about $500 in one week by raffling off a four-pound peppermint stick. The top 13 sellers got to deliver the gifts Friday morning. The energetic youths said they initially felt a little nervous about meeting with the homeless men who are a common sight around the school. Advertisement The impoverished neighborhood is sometimes plagued by theft and drug use. Earlier this year, McLoughlin installed a fence as a security measure after the campus had seen a rise in vandalism and littering, including drug paraphernalia. "People can judge them by the way they look," seventh-grader Reya Bachmann, 13, said of the homeless men clustered around the mission. "But they are nice people." She said the contrast in clothes between the students behind the table and the men accepting gifts opened her eyes. "Sometimes we’re not thankful for what we have, but they are grateful for the littlest things," Reya said. Some McLoughlin students know tough times themselves. That’s why Dimick chose a raffle as an equitable way for all students to participate in fund-raising. Eighth-grader Dava Tresch, 14, said financial difficulties will limit her family’s holiday celebration, but she was happy to help others. "I think it’s better to give than to get, but when you give, you also get something, too," she said. "I think that’s really cool." Medford Gospel Mission Director Bill Gourley said school groups often donate to the shelter at the holidays and their generosity is appreciated. Dimick, a P.E. and health teacher who took the reins of a leadership class this year because of budget cuts and layoffs, also was pleased with the class project. "They are learning so much," she said. "This is life." Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers