YLS: Spreading Holiday Cheer and Frosting!
The holiday season is approaching and many of you are beginning to make plans to celebrate with your family and friends. But, there are many uniformed men and women at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base who won’t be spending the holidays at home with their loved ones. To give them a little taste of being home for the holidays, the United Way Young Leaders Society (YLS) came together to send our troops holiday cookies. This is the third year in a row for this home-baked holiday mission by the YLS, and the gift was made possible thanks to the generosity of so many friends from the Tucson community.
The fun started at Frances Owen Holaway Elementary School on Friday, December 4, which also happened to be National Cookie Day. That afternoon, pounds of cookie dough were transformed into holiday cookies by YLS volunteers and Holaway students. The kids loved getting a little messy for a great cause. They rolled out the dough, cut out the Christmas shapes, and filled up dozens of cookie sheets, all with a smile and flour-dusted cheeks. The students also created festive holiday cards for the servicemen and women at Davis-Monthan.
Julie Wolfe Beadle, Vice President of Resource Development and the Young Leaders Society, believes the project is a good lesson for young students. “I think the kids are reminded of what our troops are doing for us and what they are sacrificing being away from their families,” she said. “They are giving up so much to allow all of us to do the things we do every day. What they do allows us to live free.”
The following Saturday morning, YLS decorated the cookies with the residents of St. Luke’s Home and brightened the day for many senior citizens. YLS members and community volunteers provided the frosting, sprinkles and just about every other cookie decoration imaginable. Conversation and laughter filled the sprucely decorated commons room as the intergenerational groups turned the blank cookies into special holiday treats. The group decorated nearly 60 dozen cookies for our troops at Davis-Monthan.
There is no denying that frosting cookies and preparing them for the troops was a wonderful experience for everyone involved in the activity. Several YLS members brought their families and their children saw that spending time with seniors can truly be a gift. “YLS loves visiting St. Luke’s every year,” Wolfe Beadle said. “The special memories and stories the residents share with us enrich our lives immeasurably.”
YLS is happy to give the residents of St. Luke’s the gift of love and companionship during the holiday season. And with a little help from their friends at Holaway Elementary and St. Luke’s Home, the Young Leaders Society was able to thank our noble servicemen and women at Davis-Monthan and make their Christmas a little bit sweeter.
Happy Holidays from the Young Leaders Society!
The holiday season is approaching and many of you are beginning to make plans to celebrate with your family and friends. But, there are many uniformed men and women at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base who won’t be spending the holidays at home with their loved ones. To give them a little taste of being home for the holidays, the United Way Young Leaders Society (YLS) came together to send our troops holiday cookies. This is the third year in a row for this home-baked holiday mission by the YLS, and the gift was made possible thanks to the generosity of so many friends from the Tucson community.
The fun started at Frances Owen Holaway Elementary School on Friday, December 4, which also happened to be National Cookie Day. That afternoon, pounds of cookie dough were transformed into holiday cookies by YLS volunteers and Holaway students. The kids loved getting a little messy for a great cause. They rolled out the dough, cut out the Christmas shapes, and filled up dozens of cookie sheets, all with a smile and flour-dusted cheeks. The students also created festive holiday cards for the servicemen and women at Davis-Monthan.
Julie Wolfe Beadle, Vice President of Resource Development and the Young Leaders Society, believes the project is a good lesson for young students. “I think the kids are reminded of what our troops are doing for us and what they are sacrificing being away from their families,” she said. “They are giving up so much to allow all of us to do the things we do every day. What they do allows us to live free.”
The following Saturday morning, YLS decorated the cookies with the residents of St. Luke’s Home and brightened the day for many senior citizens. YLS members and community volunteers provided the frosting, sprinkles and just about every other cookie decoration imaginable. Conversation and laughter filled the sprucely decorated commons room as the intergenerational groups turned the blank cookies into special holiday treats. The group decorated nearly 60 dozen cookies for our troops at Davis-Monthan.
There is no denying that frosting cookies and preparing them for the troops was a wonderful experience for everyone involved in the activity. Several YLS members brought their families and their children saw that spending time with seniors can truly be a gift. “YLS loves visiting St. Luke’s every year,” Wolfe Beadle said. “The special memories and stories the residents share with us enrich our lives immeasurably.”YLS is happy to give the residents of St. Luke’s the gift of love and companionship during the holiday season. And with a little help from their friends at Holaway Elementary and St. Luke’s Home, the Young Leaders Society was able to thank our noble servicemen and women at Davis-Monthan and make their Christmas a little bit sweeter.
Happy Holidays from the Young Leaders Society!
