National Guard Helps Deliver 8,000 gifts to West Virginia Students

December 23, 2022

News Release - AP

CHARLESTON, WV - The West Virginia National Guard is delivering 8,000 Christmas gifts to students in 36 counties across the state.

The presents were collected with donations as part of First Lady Cathy Justice’s Communities In Schools initiative, a program that works to remove barriers to student graduation.

Cynthia Sorsaia, a Communities In Schools program coordinator at the West Virginia Department of Education, said the number of gifts collected this year doubled from last year.

“This project is making so many children feel happy and loved,” said Tracy Komorowski, another Communities In Schools program coordinator who helped organize the effort.

Students who received gifts are case managed by Communities In Schools. Communities In Schools deploys site coordinators who build relationships with students inside schools and help staff to identify challenges facing students in school or at home.