Local Youth & young adult

Red Bag becomes family tradition at St. Ann in Prairie Village

Tammy Laudan, Red Bag co-coordinator for St. Ann, keeps track of a gift being loaded by St. Ann School sixth-grader Luke Creger. The Red Bag program has been a tradition at St. Ann for more than 35 years. LEAVEN PHOTO BY KATHRYN WHITE

by Moira Cullings
moira.cullings@theleaven.org

PRAIRIE VILLAGE — Christmas will be much brighter this year for 145 kids and 33 families thanks to the generosity of St. Ann School here.

“We donate gifts to people who don’t get as much for Christmas, and we pack them up in red bags,” said St. Ann School sixth-grader Donnie Evangelidis.

“It feels good,” he said. “People like us can help people that are in need just by giving little things like toys.”

The donations are part of the Red Bag program, which has been a tradition at St. Ann for more than 35 years.

St. Ann students were hard at work Nov. 6, carrying red bags full of gifts to a loading truck outside the school. LEAVEN PHOTO BY KATHRYN WHITE

Gifts — including toys, clothing and basic necessities — were gathered by school families, wrapped, put in red bags and then loaded into a truck Nov. 6 by the students themselves.

They will go to children and families in need this Christmas.

For assistant principal Jessica Loveland, the school’s effort “means we are living our faith by reaching out to others, helping them in their time of need and praying for them as a community.”

“We hope our students learn that it is so much better to give than receive,” she added, “and [see] the power of coming together and supporting all of God’s children, especially during such an unprecedented holiday season.”

St. Ann School is helping 145 children and 33 families have a brighter Christmas this year thanks to generous donations from families of the parish. LEAVEN PHOTO BY KATHRYN WHITE

Families of the parish are grateful for the opportunity to give back year after year — and this time was even more special.

“Red Bag to our family is something that we really hold near and dear to our hearts,” said Michaela Pearce, who has two sons at St. Ann — one in preschool and one in second grade.

“Especially in a year like 2020, where so many families are feeling a deeper financial impact due to COVID-19, financial hardships seem to be putting a greater strain on so many,” she said.

Sixth-grader Courtney Reiser was excited to help other children have a special holiday.

“There’s basic stuff like T-shirts and things kids need,” she said. “Each kid makes a list of their favorite colors and favorite things, so you have an idea of what to get them.

“It’s [for] kids that don’t get a lot of presents and aren’t as blessed as we are.”

St. Ann sixth-grader Chloe Reiser carries a red bag full of gifts to a truck outside the school. LEAVEN PHOTO BY KATHRYN WHITE

Tammy Laudan has been involved with the program for 20 years and said the enthusiasm of her fellow parishioners is moving.

“We just love this program,” she said.

Laudan also explained the program isn’t just for Catholic school families.

“Anybody can adopt a child,” she said. “There’s 33 families that have been taken care of [here]. That’s everything on their list — toiletries and food and gift cards.

“They’re really in need.”

From left, Peter Sexton and Joe Clark, sixth-graders at St. Ann School in Prairie Village, help load a large gift into the back of a truck picking up Christmas gifts donated by the school as part of its Red Bag program. LEAVEN PHOTO BY KATHRYN WHITE

Pearce said programs like Red Bag are why she and her husband sent their children to a Catholic school.

“Giving the kids the opportunity to understand the importance of giving back,” she said, “and especially giving back in our faith, really embodies everything that we want to teach our kids.

“It’s just an incredible program that teaches them to give unto others.”

To learn more about the Red Bag program, visit the website at: redbagskc.com.

About the author

Moira Cullings

Moira attended St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Overland Park and Benedictine College in Atchison. She majored in marketing, minored in psychology and played center midfield for the women’s soccer team. Moira joined The Leaven staff as a feature writer and social media editor in 2015. After a move to Denver, Moira resumed her full-time position at The Leaven and continues to write and manage its website and social media channels. Her favorite assignment was traveling to the Holy Land to take photos for a group pilgrimage.

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