Sixth grade student Jacob Plonka and Goff Social Worker Mr. James Eggleston stand with the box of handmade Christmas Cards collected to deliver to Teresian House Center for the Elderly.
All sixth grader Jacob Plonka wants for Christmas is to bring a smile to the faces of others. For four years, Jacob has been delivering handmade Christmas cards to those who might not have family or friends to gather with during the holiday season. Now a sixth grader at Howard L. Goff Middle School, Jacob began the tradition when he was in third grade at Genet Elementary School.
In 2020, during a visit to his great-grandmother in a nursing home, the idea sparked. Due to COVID-19 safety regulations, Jacob and his family had to visit his grandmother through a glass barrier. He said he remembers the visit being sad and wanted to do something to help. With the support of staff at Genet he was able to collect cards from fellow students, which he delivered to St. Peter’s hospital to distribute to patients.
The following year he collected the cards to bring to Teresian House Center for the Elderly which is where he continues to bring them each year.
“Jacob came to me very excited and asked if I could help him organize this,” said Goff Social Worker Jamie Eggleston. “He helped remind us that while we’re all busy, we need to slow down and take the time to do something impactful for others.”
This year, Jacob surpassed his goal of collecting 500 cards with a total of 929 cards. “The secret is that we only need 300 cards for Teresian House, so if we have more cards we can go somewhere else with them,” he said.
Jacob was thrilled by the support he has received from his fellow students and teachers. Teachers allotted time for students to work on their cards during the day and Student Council and other clubs helped with the cause.
“All my teachers have come to me and were excited to help me. I feel like it made a change,” he said.
When asked what the residents of Teresian House thought of the cards in previous years, he replied, “They loved them.”
This year, Jacob is excited to dress as a Victorian caroler to sing holiday songs, and deliver cards to residents, which will be handed out tonight.
