The holiday season is a time to give thanks and to give back. One second grade student at Bellevue Elementary is doing just that.
“I’m very excited because this is the first time a friend has ever gave me anything,” Micah Jones’ classmate said.
What You Need To Know
- A Bellevue Elementary student put lots of smiles on his second grade class faces
- Seven-year-old Micah Jones’ Christmas wish was for his class to receive gifts for the holidays
- With the help of the community, all brand new gifts were donated to Micah’s class
- The Michael Alexander Jones Project hosts an annual holiday giveaway that gives away backpacks to Syracuse children in the fall
“It was the right thing to do and I wanted to make all my friends happy,” Micah said.
“Since he’s been able to walk and talk that’s all he does,” Micah’s father, Nitchaborie, said. “He gives, he’s very compassionate, empathetic, he has a huge heart.”
With help from his parents, he started the Micah Alexander Jones Project after feeling compelled to help a classmate whose parent had lost their job and was unable to give their child a backpack for the first day of school.
“We just communicated to the community through Facebook, Instagram, sending text messages, sending letters, asking individuals if they could donate,” Nitchaborie said.
The community responded by buying presents to give to Micah’s class and they received more than what they asked for.
“I could tell from the very beginning of the first day of school, he really wanted to be a leader in this classroom,” Micah’s teacher Meghan Slattery said. “I think today is a great example of that. He really wanted to ensure that all of his friends and the students had something important for Christmas and I think that really demonstrates great leadership skills.”
The Micah Alexander Jones Project also does an annual holiday giveaway, they have gifted to the homeless, women and children of the YWCA and a church. In the fall, the project hosts a backpack giveaway for Syracuse children.
“This helps me to understand that this is the legacy that I am creating and that I have created,” Nitchaborie said. “Today he’s donating gifts to a school and my prayer is that when he gets to college, he’ll be able to donate a library to a school.”
A second grade class at Frazer Pre-K-8 School also received gifts as a result of this year’s holiday toy donation.
