CCA students celebrated the holidays by giving back to the community

During the season of giving, CCA students found ways to help the community through toy drives, donations and various other programs. Partnerships with the YWCA women’s shelter and Toys for Tots focused on giving back to the citizens of the greater Harrisburg area. CCA students were in the holiday spirit by organizing a food drive for the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank.

“One of my favorite takeaways from the school is that we care so much about the families that attend our school, the staff members, and the local community that we work in,” said Marietta Ulrich, a CCA staffer who is in her third year as administrative assistant and wellness representative.

The donation efforts and commitment to giving back to the community are part of CCA’s Climate of Caring initiative.

Donating to Toys for Tots has been a yearly tradition for Ulrich since she was a child, and in 2018 she decided to have CCA staff participate with her, committing them to fill two bins with toys.

“Those bins were overflowing, so I was really impressed with our staff and the amount they gave back,” Ulrich said.

The toy drive was such a success that the staff decided to participate again in 2019. The public also was able to participate since the bins were located in the lobby of CCA’s Capital Campus. CCA collected 102 toys and all donations went to Harrisburg area families, some of whom attend CCA.

Last year, CCA also decorated a Christmas tree at the Capital Campus with items to be donated to the Bethesda Mission, including hats, gloves, and other supplies families need.

“I ended up filling up my entire car with 10 boxes full of donations and the Bethesda Mission was so grateful,” Ulrich said.

This year, all donations went to the YWCA women’s shelter, which also has a location within the capital region. The YWCA provided a list of needed items, including bed sheets, gloves, scarves, toiletries and winter hats.

“Most families come to those shelters with nothing, and the goal is to set them up for the next phase of their life with the essentials,” Ulrich said. “We’ve had several families that attend our school and ended up in the shelter, so it has a direct impact on our school.”

CCA students took notice of the staff’s charitable efforts and organized a food drive for the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank. They made posters and coordinated with the food bank on what items were most needed.

“Our school has been successful within the last few years and our staff has been able to grow, so we wanted to be able to give back to the community,” Ulrich said.

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