Good for the students

Students in the Cape Girardeau area are as caught up in the seasonal rush that precedes Christmas every year as the rest of us. Many students are contributing some holiday cheer by raising money for worthy charities. And another set of students, at Parkview State School for the Severely Handicapped, are the beneficiaries of community support. In both instances, students are the winners.

It is particularly gratifying to see students take on fund-raising responsibilities as part of schoolwide projects. Not only are these students helping their community, they are learning a valuable lesson that will serve them well throughout their lives.

Among the schools whose students perform charitable deeds this time of year are Eagle Ridge Christian School (adopting needy families and Hurricane Katrina victims), Notre Dame Regional High School (collecting canned goods for a local food pantry and toys for a mission in Mexico), Jackson High School (collecting toys and canned goods) and Central High School in Cape Girardeau (raising money to buy gifts for an adopted family).

At Parkview, the cost of providing special playground equipment is expected to be $170,000. Already $28,000 has been raised through various fund-raisers, and more events are planned, including a Christmas raffle Dec. 11. More than 80 items have been donated by businesses to be raffled off.

Like so many other special activities at this time of year to raise money for good causes, all of these deserve our support. And support the students who care enough to get involved.