While the majority of us cheerfully wake up to an abundance of presents on Christmas morning, there is still a heartbreaking amount of students at West who do not possess such a luxury.

No matter how unfortunate it may be, it is highly important to acknowledge that not everyone has the privilege to receive gifts on Christmas. Students at West have not only recognized this fact, but have taken efforts to give back to their community as well.

Every year West provides an Angel Tree to give students who are not as fortunate the opportunity to receive gifts on Christmas. This year there was a record of 32 kids on the Angel Tree, and the West community contributed more than 100 presents overall.

“Why do we do it? Because if we didn’t, these kids wouldn’t get anything for Christmas. We need to take care of our own family. Not everyone has as much as someone else, and we don’t necessarily know what’s going on with other people. It’s just the right thing to do,” said West’s social worker Jenn O’Hare.

A plurality of the gifts donated to the Angel Tree came from West’s Leo Club, which is a club solely dedicated to volunteering.

“I am constantly amazed by the giving nature of the students who join my club. They are so kind, considerate and always willing to help,” said Leo Club adviser Stephanie Hansen.

Last week, a group of West students from Leo Club purchased over $170 worth of gifts for the Angel Tree. Leo Club has also recently collected food for the food drive, conducted bake sales to raise money for gifts, and volunteered at the Festival of Trees.

“It [volunteering] spreads the love and helps you learn to be more empathetic and considerate of others,” said Hansen.

Senior Jordyn Driscoll strongly believes that giving back to others is highly important.

“When people are in need and a helping hand is near, why shouldn’t you extend it to them?” said Driscoll.

However, sometimes the best gifts are the ones that are necessarily expected. On Tuesday morning, West AUTO students donated $300 dollars to causes here at West. This donation will help cover the remainders of Angel Tree, provide for the Nest and Families for Falcons.

“They’re [students] in school to learn math, science, social studies and language, but they’re also here to learn how to be a good person,” said O’Hare.