'Tis the Season for Giving at Loomis

Students at Loomis Chaffee went above and beyond this holiday season, collecting donations and providing gifts for those in need through a number of charitable organizations, including Windsor's own Social Services.

Loomis donated wrapped boxes filled with toys, winter clothing, gift cards and more to Social Services — a collaborative effort between Loomis' Community Service Coordinator Roseanne Lombardo and Social Services that is in its twentieth year.

All of the gifts are to be distributed to Windsor's disabled and low-income residents looking to provide themselves and their family with a little bit of holiday cheer they would otherwise be unable to.

Loomis students and faculty didn't stop there. They also continued another holiday tradition of theirs: The Giving Tree.

The Giving Tree is a tree donated to Windsor Social Services, under which small gifts are placed for individuals upon request.

The tree, according to Loomis, provides an opportunity for those in the Loomis community who are unable to give a lot this holiday season "to give something to those who are less fortunate."

Loomis' efforts also extended outside of Windsor.

The Pelican Service Organization sold 2012 Faculty Dog Calendars to benefit the Special Olympics; the school's People Rising in Support of Multiculturalism (PRISM) group raise upwards of $1,000 that will go to the Windsor Food Bank and the Thai Flood Relief Fund; a food-drive competition was held last month to help support Windsor's Food Bank; the Sewing Club designed and made hats, socks, blankets and pillows for a domestic violence shelter; and the school collected more than 100 winter coats for donation to the Button Up Connecticut coat drive sponsored by the Connecticut Athletic Trainers' Association.

The school's Button Up Connecticut initiative, coordinated by the school's athletic trainer, Jean Sapula, was so successful there were enough coats to give 25 away to the Windsor Food Bank.