APS Volunteers Turn Out for Empty Stocking Fund/Santa’s Village

(Click here to watch a short video about Atlanta Public Schools volunteers working in Santa’s Village.)

 Once again, Atlanta Public Schools students and staff members stepped up to help make Christmas merrier for hundreds of families in Atlanta, Fulton County and DeKalb County through the Empty Stocking Fund and Santa’s Village initiatives.

Cadets in the APS high school ROTC programs collected money for several weeks during the Empty Stocking Fund campaign, raising thousands of dollars. APS employees contribute during the campaign as well. The top collecting schools, according to APS Director of Army Instruction (Retired) Colonel Prentiss O. Baker, were North Atlanta (more than $10,000) and Mays (more than $7,500).

The money collected was used to buy toys and gifts for needy families in Atlanta, Fulton and DeKalb County. That’s where nearly 100 volunteers who work in the APS Center for Learning and Leadership stepped in, as they spent most of the day on Thursday bagging and distributing those toys and gifts at a warehouse on the city’s northwest side, dubbed “Santa’s Village.”

“The students love this,” Col. Baker said. “They collect the money and then when they come here they are able to see what all of their hard work went for. And we really appreciate the efforts and generous hearts of all of the volunteers. They have done something really special for the community.”