Underprivileged and refugee students at Cottonwood High were treated to a “Christmas Extravaganza” where they were able to “shop” for gifts and other needed essentials donated by community members.

A community-wide donation effort across neighborhoods in the Holladay, Cottonwood, and Murray area took place to collect items for the Christmas Extravaganza. Cottonwood High advocate, neighbor, and founder of its food pantry, Robyn Ivins, spearheaded this wonderful event to serve the great students at Cottonwood High.

“We have over 40 languages spoken here, there are kids from 50 different countries, and we’re helping them have a great Christmas,” Ivins said. “The crazy thing is we started this so that kids could find something for themselves, and it’s all about their families. It’s hard to get kids to take something for themselves, they’re always thinking about their sister or their brother or their mom and dad.”

“What I like about this is I got ten nieces and nephews, and guess what? I got something for all of them,” freshman Arris Konan said while shopping at the event. “I didn’t have to spend a single penny — it feels good,” she added.

This year, faculty and volunteers had Cottonwood High sweatshirts made for students to make sure that everyone had a gift that they could keep for themselves.

Items donated by the community included toys, puzzles, sports equipment, markers, colored pencils, coloring books and candy. Other items included essentials that some refugee and underprivileged families may have difficulty providing for their family such as socks, coats, blankets, hats, gloves and scarves.

“This is the best day of the year at the best school in the world and these are the best kids who are so deserving,” Ivins said as the event drew to a close.