SMH junior, Matthew Rosinski, has made Christmas merrier for so many people this holiday season. Rosinski took it upon himself to put together an “Ornaments for Elderwood” drive at his high school to honor his late grandmother, Ruth Pearce, who was a resident at Elderwood for a few weeks before her passing. Rosinski noticed many residents did not have Christmas decorations and thought bringing some ornaments to them could ring in some holiday cheer.
The ornament drive at St. Mary’s High School ran from November 27-December 8, and what started off as a goal of collecting 20 ornaments quickly blossomed to over 200 new and handmade ornaments thanks to the generosity of the students at St. Mary’s. Head of School, Kevin Kelleher, is thrilled to see Rosinski take such initiative to make a difference in the community: “We always tell our students how important service is and the amazing feeling you get by giving more than you receive,” Kelleher said. “To see our kids put that theory into practice is all we can hope for. We’re so proud of Matt and the entire student body’s response.”
Rosinski himself was the mastermind behind the cause for one simple reason: “To give back to Elderwood,” he said. Rosinski doesn’t necessarily love all the attention that has come with doing good deeds like this, but that won’t stop him from continuing to make a difference in the future: “I want to continue the drive next year, and say a big thank you to everyone who helped make Christmas so special for the residents of Elderwood,” Rosinski concluded.
