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YourHub.com \\ Brevard \\ Stories \\ Education \\ School News

Christmas Gifts Bring Joy to El Sol Workers

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Contributed by: Mike Richmond on 12/19/2007

Christmas promises to be much brighter this year for Jupiter's immigrant workers and their families thanks to an outpouring of generosity by many people,including students at All Saints Catholic School of Jupiter.

Fifth and sixth grade students at the school chose workers from El Sol, Jupiter's Neighborhood Resource Center, as the recipients of several hundred Christmas gifts they purchased and wrapped and presented to two El Sol workers for distribution at a Christmas day party and dinner at El Sol.

Another 200 gifts were collected through the effforts of two student volunteersat El Sol for shipment to workers' children who are in Guatemala Mexico and other Central American countries.The toy collection was organized by Cesar Guererro of Inlet Grove High School and Sophia Otfinoski of Dreyfoos School of the Arts who raised more than $600 to purchase the presents and who were aided by several students from the University of Florida and Palm Beach Gardens High School, as well asother individual donors.

Also, the Hispanic Council of the Northern Palm Beach County Chamber of Commerce,appealed to its members for toys to be handed out at the annual Christmas party Saturday of Corn Maya, a Hispanic outreach group. SisterMarta Tobon, of the Hispanic Ministry at St. Peter Catholic Church, noted that many workers do not have families locally to share the holiday with which normally would not make for a very festive Christmas.

"Now they will have joy on their faces and in their hearts on Christmas," she said in thanking the students at All Saints Catholic School Monday. Accepting the students' presents on behalf of all the workers were Diego Rojas and Ruben Compeseco, both natives of Jupiter's Sister-City, Halcaltenango, Guatemala.

Rojas and Compeseco smiled and thanked each of the students as they handed over their colorful, wrapped presents to the men who then carefully packed them into a van and a car for delivery to El Sol.

"It was touching for me. I had tears coming out of my eyes," said Rojas whose wife and three children live in Guatemala. "I have felt so much love here and it is not always that way in my country," he said.

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