Tis the Season for Giving
Since the beginning of December, students collected toys for children that otherwise might not have one underneath their tree on Christmas morning.
Spearheaded by the Office of Campus Ministry, an Amazon Wishlist was created, posters were put around school, and announcements were made daily to help spread the word.
“The word, indeed was spread,” said Director of Campus Ministry Roberto Artiz. “Daily we would receive packages in the mail or students would come in with bags of toys. The generosity and sincerity of our young men really exemplified St. Ignatius’ teaching ‘to give and not to count the cost.’” On December 17 students helped distribute the hundreds of toys collected to children at Corpus Christi and San Juan Bosco.
Some student groups took on the challenge to collect as many toys as possible and asked their members to contribute generously. Those groups were Athletes for Charity and our basketball and crew teams. “Personally, I didn’t want one child to go without a gift so I knew I wanted to motivate my club, Athletes for Charity, and get involved,” said senior Alejandro Falcón. “In my native Venezuela, my parents and I do something similar and I really felt it was important to continue that tradition of giving during the advent season.”
The Alumni Association also held its annual Reyes Magis toy drive in December. Dozens of alumni and their families were joined by members of the Key Club to distribute the toys at Gesu Church on December 17. “It was truly an uplifting experience,” said Magis Chairman Crescencio Ruiz '76. “The spirit of brotherhood and service lives on past graduation and is truly exemplified by the alumni that choose to give back to the community, by generously giving of their time and money and doing it selflessly and with a smile.”
BELEN JESUIT PREPARATORY SCHOOL
500 SW 127th Avenue, Miami, FL 33184
phone: 305.223.8600 | fax: 305.227.2565 | email: communications@belenjesuit.org
500 SW 127th Avenue, Miami, FL 33184
phone: 305.223.8600 | fax: 305.227.2565 | email: communications@belenjesuit.org
Belen Jesuit Preparatory School was founded in 1854 in Havana, Cuba, by Queen Isabel II of Spain. The task of educating students was assigned to the priests and brothers of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits), whose teaching tradition is synonymous with academic excellence and spiritual discipline. In 1961, the new political regime of Cuba confiscated the school's property and expelled the Jesuit faculty. The School was re-established in Miami the same year, and over the next decade, continued to grow. Today, Belen Jesuit is situated on a 34-acre site in western Dade County, just minutes away from downtown Miami.