LCHS Nursing 101 class assures a happy Christmas for children in need of one

 

[December 11, 2024]    On Friday, December 6, Christina Fink’s Nursing 101 students at Lincoln Community High School delivered presents to the Center for Youth and Family Services.

Fink said, “For the past six years, I have done this donation with our students. My husband and I have always made it a point to teach our own children about the act of giving to others, especially over the holidays. When I took the Nursing 101 position over, I thought "why not do it on a bigger scale?! and with more participation ...so I reached out to the CYFS and asked how many kids were in need...it was always so many, which broke my heart - so we have stayed with them every single year.

Every year around late November, Fink creates a signup list of ages and genders for the kids and the students write their name next to which group they will be buying for (so we cover all bases) - The students buy all the gifts on their own over a 2-3 week timespan as an act of service for the community. She said, “we teach that nursing is very much an act of service - but that it is important to do it in all aspects of life.”

As Fink said, “my instructors and I have been blown away every year by how many students participate and bring gifts in...they truly love and enjoy it. I buy wrapping supplies (paper, bows, ribbon, nametags, paper, etc.) and have all of it available in my classroom (gift wrapping station) so all the students have to do is bring the gift in and are able to wrap it up while they are with me - then they place the gift under the classroom tree.”

This year Fink said there were well over 100 gifts the students brought in.

The other instructors are Jan Sielaff and Alexa Klokkenga. Fink said, “I couldn’t do it without them.”

In this season of giving, it is good to see the generosity of these students who will likely help many children have a nice Christmas.

[Angela Reiners]