Although fewer than 30 of the 525 students attending Tongue Point Job Corps Center actually come from Clatsop County, they all call this area home when it comes to giving to the community.  Activities which contributed to helping others during the season of giving included:

The Student Government Association chooses a worthy cause every 6 months and sells donuts and bagels to students, with all money collected being donated.  In July they chose Court Appointed Special Advocates, CASA.  When they totaled the amount collected from students it amounted to  $717.26.  It was not possible to present the donation last week, but CASA can be expecting a nice late Christmas present.

For the second year, in an event called Holiday Helping Hands, hand cutouts were sold in the dining hall to students and staff over the course of 2 days – that’s 6 mealtimes.  Each hand purchased could be decorated by the purchaser and was then used to decorate the entry of the dining hall.   The $306 raised, earmarked for the Food Bank, will be presented to United Way.  At $.50 each or 3 for $1, that’s a lot of Helping Hands!

It’s been a tradition for the students in Tongue Point’s High School as well as other academics including GED and English Second Language classes to adopt Meals on Wheels at Christmas by providing favors and presents to be delivered with holiday meals.   This year, close to 100 bags were filled with winter scarves, coasters (with carpentry students pitching in to cut and sand the plywood rounds), holiday pins, booklets of crossword puzzles and Sudoku, bookmarks, holiday ornaments and wreaths, packets of tea bags, paper flowers.  Each bag was accompanied by a handmade holiday card with personal holiday greetings and  picture of the student.