Many schools hold food drives, penny wars and toy collections during the holiday season. But this year, dozens of CMS middle and high school students decided to answer a different need. They targeted the youngest and oldest people in Charlotte and Mecklenburg County and collected items to help them. Vance High students collected items for babies in need and McClintock Middle students gathered gifts for seniors.
“Anytime we as a people have an opportunity to give back, it makes us feel better,” said Vance High student and G.E.M.S. member Ann Johnson.
The G.E.M.S., which stands for Growing and Empowering Myself Successfully, say they saw a critical need that had to be met this holiday season. They came up with an idea to help the smallest gems of all – babies.
“We learned some babies weren’t getting diapers for days and we thought, why, when we have things to help them out?” said one student.
“We collected bottles, diapers, pacifiers, clothes and bibs.”
The students said gathering the supplies made them feel like better people, knowing they helped change lives by helping parents with children. And changing lives are what the G.E.M.S. are all about.
“All of us are females and we all have friends and family that have kids so we’re just helping out toward them.”
The G.E.M.S. say they’ll keep up their collections after the holidays.
“The need won’t go away after the holidays, especially now that the economy is the way that it is, so we’re going to continue with the drive and everything we can get, we’re going to donate it,” said Ann.
At McClintock Middle School, students decided to look in the 
opposite direction and help seniors. About two dozen students from the Future Business Leaders of America, National Junior Honor Society and AVID groups spent weeks collecting the items to give to elderly neighbors living at the Brian Center.
Their work started before the collection – first with some research about what the elderly might need.
“I learned that they need necessities that every normal person would need for life, said seventh-grade student Spencer Heath. “That they want warmth and comfort.”
After wrapping up their research, they went to work, earning the money to buy items to donate.
“It actually makes you feel a lot better knowing it came from you,” said eighth-grade student Cameron Steitz. “It wasn’t like you went to your parents and took money that they worked for and bought something with that. We did everything ourselves and then it truly feels like you helped a person.”
That feeling of helping was felt throughout McClintock Middle, both among the students and faculty who donated, as well as those who helped with the packing.
“It feels really good just knowing that you’re helping somebody else around Christmas,” seventh-grade student Hannah Little said.
Teacher Mary Cuthbertson has been involved with the nursing home project for seven years. She said what her students get from this project lasts long after the gifts have been given.
“There is a lifelong lesson. It’s teamwork. It’s cooperative learning,” she said. “It’s demonstrating something 
that’s not in a textbook. I think they realize, kindness, acts of kindness really go a long way.”
It's the CMS Television holiday special... Season of Giving. Celebrate the holidays with musical performances from our students, encouraging stories of sharing and holiday wishes. It's a special gift from Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools to you.