"I love to smile. Smiling's my favorite!" That's one of my favorite lines from one of my favorite Christmas movies of all time. (Speaking of which, the first student reading this who finds me and names the movie that quote is from will win a personal pan pizza graciously donated by our Van Wert Pizza Hut). Anyway, it's that time of year again. The time where you can turn on the TV and find a Christmas movie, no matter what time of day it is. As I alluded to in my last post, I LOVE this time of year!
A lot of times, Christmas movies have similar plotlines. A child really wants something for Christmas. It's often unlikely that they'll get that item they really want, though. Then they spend the rest of the movie wondering and trying to ensure that they'll get what they want. Hint: by the end, they usually do wind up getting it.
For example, Kevin McCallister was Home Alone, but all he wanted in the end was to spend Christmas with his family. After some hilarious run-ins with Harry and Marv (with an assist from Buzz's tarantula in what is still by far the best individual moment of any Christmas movie ever); Kevin eventually gets what he wants when his family busts through the door on Christmas morning.
Ralphy eventually gets his Red Ryder, Buddy the Elf gets Santa's sleigh flying again, and even Clark Griswold gets his Christmas bonus! There's always a happy ending in Christmas movies. Over the last few weeks, I've felt like I've gotten to be in Vantage's very own Christmas movie.
Thanks to the amazing efforts of Mrs. Amy Grothouse, her VCC and cosmetology "elves", our staff, students, and some very generous community members; there will be hundreds of kids and families around our communities who get to feel like the main characters in a Christmas movie on December 25 (which is only 13 days away!!).
Mrs. Grothouse and her "elves" led the efforts to support "Toss a Toy" here at Vantage. These young men and women donated their time to set up fundraisers like our change stall (where students brought change into class, and their teachers had to count ALL of it before they could start class), $2 hair extensions at lunch (thanks to the COS labs), and our "ugly" sweater contest (for a $1 donation). Through their efforts, the generosity of each of our labs, and a generous donation from a former Vantage student; we raised over $4,200 to purchase toys for children and families who are simply wishing for a Christmas gift under the tree this year.
Their giving spirit and positive attitudes are exactly why I love this time of year. As a reward for their hard work, the students involved got to go to Van Wert Wal-Mart today and pick out the toys that will be officially donated to "Toss a Toy" this coming Wednesday. Our stage is COMPLETELY PACKED with toys, and it's amazing (picture coming soon). Thank you again to Mrs. Grothouse and her elves for leading this effort, and thanks to Vantage students and staff for once again showing what a caring and wonderful place we get to come to every day!
So...Why am I smiling? Because I work at Vantage, and Vantage is my favorite.
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