With Christmas just twenty days away, the shopping is underway, and while most of us are shopping for gifts for others, today some kids from the St. Louis School in Tyler got to go shopping for themselves. KLTV 7′s Danielle Capper went along as they filled their carts, had fun, and learned something along the way. With a wish list and a shopping cart, the 95 students from the St. Louis School were off. With their teacher’s help, many picked out just what they wanted for Christmas.
Austin Bradley showed us his treasures. “A CD, and some pajamas.”
With toys, clothes, blankets – each got to spend fifty dollars on whatever they wanted.
“I’m going shopping,” said Kailtin Coy.
“This is an annual shopping trip that has gone on for probably about ten years now. It’s a donation by Steve Mostyn, whose mother used to be a paraprofessional. She died a few years ago and he does this in memory of her,” said Karyn Hacker, the St. Louis School principal.
But for these children going beyond the classroom into the isles, it’s a wonderful opportunity for learning.
“Because they are non-verbal and don’t talk, we have to use lots of different means of them letting us know what they want what they need, what their likes and differences are,” said Hacker.
“My name is Joy Wallach. I’m 18 years old,” said Joy. “I bought cards, a photo album, and Barney DVDs.”
By choosing just what they wanted, these children of all ages seemed to really enjoy it, with a smile, or a few words.
“Merry Christmas. Happy holidays!” said Kaitlin Coy.
“For some of them, it may be the only Christmas for a lot of them it’s an extra special thing they get to do,” said Hacker.
The Mostyn Moreno Foundation out of Houston donates this shopping spree for special needs students in Athens, Whitehouse, and Jacksonville. In all, they estimate 280 children will get to go shopping.