Loyola Students Focus on Families in Need During Christmas Season

In December, the Loyola Academy community hosted its annual Gonzaga Christmas Drive and raised nearly $40,000 and collected over 340 boxes of food and gifts for families in need. The Gonzaga Drive seeks to emulate the life and service of St. Aloysius Gonzaga, SJ, who worked with the poor and afflicted in Italy during the late sixteenth century. Loyola’s Campus Ministry Department hosted the first drive in 2010, and it has since become an important holiday tradition at the Academy. 
“The efforts tie into Loyola Academy’s motto: Women and Men for Others,” says Ms. Allison Loecke, campus minister and coordinator of summer service. “As a school, we try to teach the students about compassion and a willingness to hear the stories of others.” 
 
This year, Loyola students sponsored 104 families and 429 individuals from Maternity Blessed Virgin Mary, a Catholic grammar school in Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighborhood, and Most Blessed Trinity Academy in Waukegan. Each homeroom made a pledge amount (for example, $10 per student) and was matched with a family in need. Throughout the drive, students collected money and used it to purchase Christmas gifts each family had requested—items like warm weather clothing and toys for children.  
 
“My favorite part of the Gonzaga drive is knowing you’re giving a family an amazing Christmas—shopping and getting excited for them as if they were a part of your own family,” says senior Elizabeth Metzger. “It really brings the true meaning of Christmas to life.”
 
“Loyola’s mission teaches us to live lives of service,” adds junior Grace Harlan. “So by participating in the Gonzaga Christmas Drive, we are embodying this mission. We are so blessed in so many different ways, and it was a great experience to give back some of those blessings and serve those in need.”
 
The drive challenges Loyola students to put their faith into action. “Students aren’t just putting money in an envelope,” says Loecke. “They know that their contributions—from coats and hats to bikes and teddy bears—go to the family. I think that the personal connection is what makes a difference.” 
 
Loyola Academy would like to thank parent David Hollander of Hollander International Storage & Moving for providing a moving van to assist with the transport of the gifts and food.  
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