Wednesday, December 29, 2010
The Kings Mountain Herald
Page 9A
KMMS students reach out to children all over
the world with Operation Christmas Child
The Titan Team and Mrs. Shipley’s eighth grade AIG Lan-
guage Arts class at Kings Mountain Middle School recently
volunteered at the Operation Christmas Child warehouse in
Charlotte.
Nearly 150 volunteers, including students, teachers, par-
ents and others from the community helped pack shoeboxes
at the warehouse on Monday, Dec. 13. The boxes were set to
be shipped to children all over the world for Christmas. For
many who volunteered, it was a great experience.
Three students shared their
experiences with The Herald.
COLLIN FOSTER — “When I found out we were going
to Operation Christmas Child, I was really excited. I could-
n’t wait to go. I looked forward to it for like three weeks.
When we got there, we went into an area and learned what
to look for. After that, we were placed in groups of six and
went to an area with tons of boxes. From there, we did dif-
ferent jobs. One person takes money out, another looks for
inappropriate items and removes them, and the last person
tapes the box and put it in a larger box. We did this for
about four hours. It was a lot of work, but it was really fun.
The boxes that we packed that day were to be sent to kids
in Ukraine and Madagascar. After we were finished, I felt
really good. I am glad I got the chance to experience that.”
MACKENZIE SMITH - “Orphaned. Starved. Deserted.
Disarrayed. Less Fortunate. If you were at Operation
Christmas Child you knew the meaning of this. The chil-
dren these boxes were going to were all of these things and
some more.
“Have you ever sat and actually thought about how
lucky you are to have a family that loves and cares for you?
How about how lucky we are that we get Christmas pres-
ents every year? These children don’t get presents every
year, they don’t even get a present. The boxes were going
to be shipped out to the countries where these children
lived. My job was to inspect what was in the boxes and
take out inappropriate items. I was the last person to see
what was inside the boxes before the children received
them. This was an experience I will NEVER forget!”
LAUREN FERRELL — “I loved Operation Christmas
Child. It was amazing for me because I realized that I
would be the last ong touching that box before it reached
some child in need. Some kids, this was the only present
that they would get this Christmas. It really made me feel
great about myself knowing that I was helping little kids all
around the world that are in need or their home was de-
stroyed and they have nothing that they can call their own.
But those boxes that we packed and shipped out, that is one
thing that they can call their own.”
The Titan Team at KMMS includes eighth grade stu-
dents in Chris Bennett’s Math and Science classes and
Sherrie Norris’ Language Arts and Social Studies classes.
Operation Christmas Child is a ministry of Franklin
Graham’s Samaritan’s Purse. The mission of OCC is: “to
demonstrate God’s love in a tangible way to needy children
around the world, and together with the local church world-
wide, to share the Good News of Jesus Christ.”
CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS
KMMS students, parents, teachers and others from the community recently volunteered at the Operation Christmas Child
warehouse in Charlotte, packing shoeboxes for children around the world.
Emily Dickinson once wrote, “They
might not need me; but they might. I'll let
my head be just in sight; A smile as small as
mine might be, Precisely their necessity.”
Volunteering at the Operation Christmas
“Child warehouse in Charlotte this Decem-
ber, wasn’t the fir rst or only time students
from the Titan team and Kings Mountain
Middle have made a difference this year.
: Their smiles are sure to have brightened
: many lives, even if in the smallest of ways.
Tl hey helped out at Murphey’s 16th An-
nual Toy Run on 2 Noy, 20th. Tey visited
the Hospice House taking cookies and
poinsettias for Christmas. They helped.
plant flowers and tend gardens around the :
city with committee members of Keep Kings
Mountain Beautiful.
And each Monday they visit the residents
at Summit Place. T hey have even decorated
a Christmas tree there Jor Summit Place’. s
parade of trees.
KMMS Teachers Mr. Chris Eenmer, Ms.
Sherrie Norris, Mrs. Pat Regan, Mrs. Ship-
ley and others have worked with the stu-
denis i in this j Journey 10 help others.
Noah Coleman packs a shoebox at the Operation Christmas Child warehouse.
Ne
xX
oy
Jacob Sneed carries a large box packed with shoeboxes.
Now rotecting hearts
‘in Kings Mountain.
www. Sanger Heart.
For more information, call 704- 482-1006.