Corner Canyon High helps Santa reach disabled Utahns

The Salt Lake Tribune

Published December 13, 2013 10:33 pm

Holiday giving • The Holiday Box program supports low-income residents awaiting the magic of the season.

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

A sleigh wouldn't have been big enough. So students from Corner Canyon High School loaded a truck from the Utah Association for the Intellectually Disabled (UAID) instead.

The school's Peer Leadership Team lifted $15,000 worth of Christmas gifts, contained in about 200 large bags, onto the truck Thursday to be delivered to about 200 Utahns with intellectual disabilities.

The UAID Holiday Box program supports low income residents with disabilities that include Down syndrome, autism and traumatic brain injuries. Those hoping for gifts may be older adults who don't qualify for other programs.

The Corner Canyon students have donated about 750 hours of community service to clean, organize and decorate a warehouse, send mass mailers, sort donated items and wrap presents, the school said in a statement.

Team students, advised by teacher Russell Boyer, organized the gift drive, adopted UAID clients and invited friends and neighbors to do the same.

UAID's Holiday Box program provided gifts to 1,206 individuals last year and aims to help 1,500 this season. Ornaments describing the wishes of those in need are available at 1453 S. Major Street (between State and Main) in Salt Lake City or 5415 S. 4270 W. Kearns, or see a wish list and other details at http://www.uaidutah.org/holidaygiftbox.

"There are over 400 ornaments that still remain unadopted, with Christmas only 13 days away," said Kathy Scott, executive board president of UAID, in a statement. "That is over 400 individuals at risk to get nothing for the holidays." —

How to help this holiday

Here's a list of Utah groups seeking holiday donations.

ARTICLE PHOTO GALLERY

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