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Benefactors give YCS students dance party to celebrate Christmas
YOUNGSTOWN
Owens Construction helped Youngs-town Community School celebrate Christmas in style with a dance and pizza party.
Mike Owens, owner of Owens Construction of Youngstown, and a few other company employees wanted to give back through a donation of some kind for this holiday season.
His choice was made easy when he heard the gifts students wanted for Christmas.
“One kid wanted a blanket, and another, a mechanical pencil,” Owens said Tuesday afternoon. “These were just such basic needs, not really wants. That’s what got to me.”
In addition to the dance party, pizza, snacks and drinks, students received nearly $2,500 worth in Christmas gifts for students and their families.
Principal Heidi Cope-Barker said the holiday party is a symbol of what the YCS represents – being a child.
“We want to make sure we are celebrating our kids everyday,” she said. “Having a holiday party for them reminds us we are all kids at heart, and we get to be kids, too.”
Although donating to any charity is a noble cause, Owens couldn’t be happier with his choice to give back to YCS because he got to see it actually happen.
“I like to give back to kids who don’t have anything,” he said. “It makes me feel good – just being able to be apart of it.”
The reaction Owens got from students made the effort even more worthwhile.
When asked what he thought about the event, the first thing Jarel Smith, 12, hurriedly said was, “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
Owens received hug after hug of appreciation from various students in between the prime dancing songs and rounds of pizza.
He said there is no better feeling. He has no intention of stopping that feeling, either.
“I want to call this the ‘first annual,’ because this is something we want to do every year,” Owens said.
Caleb Hicks, 11, said he is looking forward to continuing the tradition and is so grateful to be a part of YCS schools to be able to take advantage of such an event.
Other donors included the United Way of Youngstown and Mahoning Valley, Century 21, Atty. Dave A. D’Apolito, Next Generation Security and Sound, Mayla Glam LLC, High Octane Coffee, California Palms Hotel, Klacik Real Estate and J.V. Merando.