As we start the wonderful holiday season, Dowling Catholic kicks off one of our most treasured traditions: Christmas Baskets. Mr. Jeff Ferguson has been running the Christmas Basket Program for 32 years and by now every person who walks the halls has heard about Dowling’s holiday tradition. But how did this tradition come to be? When DCHS first started as an all-boys school, it adopted the tradition from Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and even as time has moved forward, not much has changed. Ferguson talked about how much the program has grown, in size, but how he has tried to keep it as close to its roots as possible.
Each year about $35,000 goes into the program. And right as we end one year, Mr. Ferguson and his team get started on the next year. There are a lot of other staff members helping with Christmas Baskets: Mr. Smith and Mrs. C-G (groceries), Mr. McGuire (wrapping), Mr. Vanderah (clothing), Mrs. Nedved (fundraising), Mr. Clark (faculty liaison), and Mrs. Bertram and Mrs. Dufek who are the senior class moderators.
Every fall the senior class kicks off Christmas Baskets with a meeting. Then they get into groups of six people and Mr. Ferguson assigns them a DCHS homeroom and a family. This year Dowling started with 93 families, 50 of which are from Moulton Elementary School, and an additional 40 from Holy Family Catholic School. As of press time, we were up to serving over 100 families! These families will get $200 for groceries, a Christmas tree, lights, ornaments, and of course the main point: their choice of presents.
After the candle lighting ceremony on December 15th, the seniors will drop off their presents to their families. This moment tends to be very special for everyone involved. Mr. Ferguson explains how one year a senior group wasn’t able to drop off their presents to their family, so he took the presents himself. He said the family was so happy, the kids were running around, playing with their toys and the mother was standing there crying happy tears.
To help moments like these happen, make sure you donate money or items to your homeroom’s family this year. Christmas Baskets really is the best example of who Dowling is as a community.
