When children receive gifts through Sertoma Christmas Miracle on Dec. 24, they also will find a blanket in their box.
Students in Dawn Jones’ marketing class at Seymour High School are conducting a competition between the sixth block classes to see who can collect the most blankets. The winning class will receive a pizza party.
The public can contribute by dropping off new blankets at the school, 1350 W. Second St., Seymour. The collection runs through Dec. 18.
There also are students stopping by the school’s library to put fleece tie blankets together. Jill Prange, director of media services, has been purchasing kits that have two types of fabric bundled together, and students just have to put the two pieces on top of each other, cut on the dotted lines around the edges and tie the strands together.
“The (students) are having a great time making the blankets, and it gives them the opportunity to literally have a hand in helping our community stay warm,” Prange said.
Sertoma is a nonprofit service organization that means Service to Mankind. It focuses on speech and hearing issues in addition to sponsoring the annual Christmas Miracle program.
The program relies on donations from the community to provide gifts to less-fortunate children throughout Jackson County.
In 2018, more than 1,000 people volunteered and donated, and 290 families and 783 children were served.