We live in a special place. I've never seen a community so quick to come together to help others in need and then, at Christmas time, we outdo ourselves. Working alone or in small groups, thousands of people of all ages find some way to make Christmas better for those in need.

Donna Allen's Peer Helpers students at NDSS represent just a few of those people and this fall, they have been doing much more than preparing to help others at Christmas.

When I first walked into their classroom a month or so ago, I had been asked to speak about my experience at Sihlengeni Secondary School in Zimbabwe, a school I "adopted" last summer on behalf of local Rotary clubs, some readers of this column and several of my friends.

When I told the students about the thirty six orphans at Sihlengeni and the difficult time many are having to pay their annual school fees --$15 Canadian - the class very quickly decided to help -- More about that next month.

But let's get back to Christmas. The whole class is working on this project in partnership with the Daybreak Rotary Club and the Charity Committee of the NDSS Student Council. Together they will help seven families selected by Tillicum House and local "feeder schools".

Mrs. Allen collected a "wish list" from each of the seven families and divided the class into seven groups, each responsible for filling one family's wish list. Their job was to find as many people as possible to help. Parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and neighbours were soon involved and local stores were approached for their support.

The most important partnership was with the Daybreak Rotary Club. They raised $2,589 for the project most of which will be used to buy food vouchers that will be distributed to the seven families as well as others.

The Charity Committee of the NDSS Student Council was another important partner. They organized the whole school to collect Christmas gifts. Many of these items will also be distributed to other needy families through the Salvation Army.

So, as you can imagine, when I walked into the classroom last week it was stuffed to the gunnels with Christmas presents, everything from good used clothing to the latest in brand new electronic games and each and every student seemed to be grinning from ear to ear.

"This project means a lot to me," Typhanie Locke enthused, "because we are giving something back to the community. It makes me feel so happy to just ...". That's when Miranda Wynans interrupted. "Not just happy ... ecstatic," she beamed and Typhanie agreed.

Marie Sturton said that working on this project made her feel like a better person because she is giving and not just receiving. "And when I see how many people have donated," she continued, "it's awesome. I really didn't expect nearly this much."

The Christmas project is just one of many the class has been working on this fall.

Broken into smaller working groups, they have developed a drinking and driving campaign, a "Welcome to NDSS" luncheon to introduce new students to the school, a garbage can beautification program, a recycling program, an anti-drug video and live presentation to be delivered to primary students in the area and a "Play Safe" program for primary students. Another group has volunteered one period a week to assist in the Skills For Life program.

We are often quick to criticize today's youth and slow to recognize the amazing contributions the majority of them make. Who are the "amazing" kids in your life?