3rd-Graders Dig Deep to Help Needy Family

Nine-year-old Nick wanted to help a new friend in need.

So he broke his piggy bank, took out $4.58 in change and gave it to buy his friend a gift for Christmas.

Rachel, 8, was eager to pitch in as well, so she cleaned up after the family cat to earn the $5 she contributed.

T.J., 9, made his money by doing chores--like feeding his dogs and making his own lunch--without being told.

Nick, Rachel and T.J. are just a few of the third-graders at Foothill Ranch Elementary School who pooled their resources and “adopted” 17-year-old Iris and her 6-month-old son, Kevin, for Christmas.

Their teacher, Viki Young, thought it would be a good idea for youngsters to know that they too could help a person in need.

And Iris, an unwed mother, hopes this will be the beginning of a special friendship.

“I already sent a letter to them saying thanks,” she said. “I want to come meet them one day.”

Young said her students were eager to chip in.

“It’s so important for them to understand that when they all give a little something, they can make a difference,” Young said.

Judging by their letters, the youngsters were proud to help out.

“I really care about you that is why I wanted to help you so I took my money I have collected for six years and I counted it up and the total was $4.58,” Nick wrote. ‘I hope you will enjoy Christmas. From your friend, Nick.”

They collected $70 to help Iris spend a happy Christmas.

And special it was--Iris said it was the first Christmas that she had ever received a present.

“I appreciate everything they have done for me,” said Iris, who lives in Orange. “It is really, really wonderful. I never thought these kids would do this for me.”

Her gifts included a sweater, a Winnie the Pooh sleeper for Kevin and a book called “Love You Forever.” She also received some cash to buy diapers and bottles for Kevin.

Sometimes the responsibility and stress of caring for a baby are overwhelming, Iris said.

Iris said she did not plan to get pregnant. Because she is attending school and caring for her baby, she is unable to work.

Though she adores her son, she advised other teens to exercise caution.

“Having a baby is a really hard thing,” she said. “If you are a teenager, think about school, get an education, get a great job. Don’t be thinking about having sex.”

In class, Young did not bring up the topic of unprotected sex and out-of-wedlock births, saying that the only important factor was helping someone in need. And the kids’ parents seemed to agree, she said.

This is the second year Young has participated in the Adopt a Family program with her students. The program is part of the Orange County Child Abuse Prevention Center, which teaches parenting skills and places young parents with mentors.

Last year, Young’s class received a letter from the young mother they adopted who told them she was so inspired by their help that she had decided to return to high school.

Social worker April Sanchez said that of the 100 families helped through the agency this Christmas, only Iris and Kevin were taken in by schoolchildren.

Iris said that when she meets the students, “I will hug them and kiss them and tell them thanks for everything. I will keep in touch with them.”