Vanguard student holds stuffed animal drive for special needs adults
Jackie Simons, 18, a student at Vanguard School, will not participate in a traditional toy drive this holiday season.
She is collecting stuffed animals for residents of Shapiro Developmental Center for Autistic Adults in Kankakee. Most residents there have special needs, and many, according to Simons, do not see any family during the holidays.
Dressed as an elf every Christmas, Simons has distributed stuffed animals to these residents since she was 4 years old. Her grandmother, Margaret Simons, would dress as Santa. Simon’s great grandmother, Suzanne Thomson, started this tradition over 40 years ago, Simons said.
Things are different this year, however; Simons will be doing this on her own on Sunday, Dec. 16, and this year, she will be Santa Claus.
What started as a fun and giving holiday tradition with grandma has blossomed into a determined mission of service. When Simon’s grandmother and great-grandmother were killed last year, victims of an alleged drunken driver, she decided the greatest way she could honor her grandmothers’ memory is by carrying on the family tradition at the center in Kankakee.
With the help of classmates and teachers at Vanguard School, as part of a special service project, Simons has more than reached her goal of collecting 250 stuffed animals. Almost immediately following her plea to District 214 students and staff, donations starting pouring in from not only the Forest View Educational Center, but from home schools as well. Over 800 stuffed animals have been donated, so far.
“Our director’s office looks like a toy store,” said Vanguard counselor Patrick Kain. “We are so proud of Jackie. She has collected more than her goal in less than three weeks and has enough for the next two or three Christmases.”
“People keep dropping off giant bags for Jackie’s cause,” commented Vanguard teacher Amy O’Neill. “It reminds me of a scene from Miracle on 34th Street.”
“By helping with the stuffed animal drive, we can help Jackie heal,” said Danielle Pettibone, a student at Vanguard, who is helping Jackie. “It’s also a reminder of the good that can come out of a tragedy. The whole thing is amazing, Jackie’s hard work and this project that she’s dedicated to her grandmothers.”
Vanguard School’s curriculum emphasizes service to the community. Since the death of her grandmothers, Simons considers preventing drinking and driving as a personal cause. She has shared her personal story and statistics more than once with the student body. Simons has also participated in victim impact panels through AAIM (Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists). According to Simons, her dream is to propose legislation in Springfield and save lives.
“If I convince one person to not drink and drive, then I have done my job,” said Simons. “I could not do this project without my sister or my Vanguard family.”
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