T’Naus Nieto
The Chronicle-News

As the season’s first snow had fallen over Trinidad on Nov. 4, the around 400 students at Fishers Peak Elementary were busy, across two days, preparing shoeboxes full of goodies necessities to send off to children in need around the globe, who now will receive a special and personalized gift by Christmas morning.

“I think it’s important because we’re helping people, but also the students are learning how to do that,” principal Shonie Pachelli told The Chronicle-News.  “It’s just been awesome because they feel like they’re making a difference. And they are, they truly are.”

Adelie Gettler and her husband, Mike Gettler, volunteered their time and donated all supplies needed to afford every student at FPE, from kindergarten to fifth grade, the opportunity to create and pack gifts for other kids who may not be as fortunate as them, with a project they called The Outreach.

Fourth-grade teacher Teresa Ochoa said, “Filling a shoebox with toys and hygiene goods with our students gives me a feeling of hope. Hope for unfortunate children and hope that our children will learn to take advantage of the opportunities to show kindness in the world.”

Students filled boxes of toys, clothes, supplies, personalized letters, drawings, and, most importantly, personal hygiene items, which some kids in remote areas may not have access to.

“While, in almost every case, this is the first time these kids received a gift of any kind,” said Mike. “We had lots of happy tears and emotions. This was a very powerful experience.”

With volunteers’ help, they were able to ship packages utilizing a nonprofit to help distribute to kids worldwide.

Adelie and Mike spearheaded the project, coordinating with the elementary school and donating the time and funds necessary to provide the materials for the gifts.

“We were able to coordinate with FPE, and all of the students, along with the staff and faculty, were able to pack a box this year,” Adelie said. “Kids get to come in and [learn] a little bit about humanitarian efforts, of helping people in need and being thoughtful of others. They get to pack a box, write a letter, and then those boxes will get sent off to all the places around the world where kids need help.”

“I think last year was the first time we did it,” Pachelli said. “Students thought it was for them initially. So, they (Mike and Adelie) went in there (the classrooms), spoke with them about it, and said, ‘We’re doing this for other people, for other children around the world.’”

Of course, 400 students would be a lot for just a married couple, but they brought in volunteers to help with the efforts to support the project and bring joy to kids all over the world.

“I have to thank all the volunteers that came in to do this with us,” Pachelli said. “We have a lot of children, about 400 right now. They took the time to come in and spend two full days with us. So, I appreciate them all being here.”

When asked why they start packing Christmas gifts in early November,” Adelie said, “Even though we’re still a little ways from [the holiday]… we pack them early so they could all be delivered by Christmas time all around the world.”

Adelie spoke about her and her family’s passion for the project, stating, “We know that for our family, we have two young daughters here at the elementary school. It has made a huge impact on everyone in our family, including the girls, and it helps us all think beyond ourselves… This project enables you to get outside of thinking about yourself and thinking about others and helping others. We’ve seen, even in our daughters, how when we go to the store, instead of them wanting to buy a toy or something else for themselves, they’ll say, ‘Mom, can I get this toy for another kid?’ It makes them start thinking about others more, and to be able to instill that in children, especially at a young age, is so important and I think it’ll help a lot of these kids to grow up having that in their minds to be able to say, ‘It’s not just about me. I can think about other people. I can help other people. I can volunteer. There are things I can do, even as a kid, to help.’”

Pachelli said, “It just makes me happy seeing our kids doing nice things for others and making a difference, even in a small way, and it’s nice to have the community coming in and some of our parents coming in to volunteer to help them do that.”