On Sunday, December 4, Wilbraham & Monson Academy 7th grader Gabriel Awad presented The Springfield Boys and Girls Club with a donation of toys at The Festival of Trees in Springfield, Mass.
After hearing that the organization did not have enough toy donations last year, Gabe developed a plan to ensure this wouldn't be the case in 2011. On September 3, Gabe celebrated his Bar Mitzvah at Sinai Temple, Springfield, Mass. This was followed by a party for Gabe on the Wilbraham & Monson Academy campus. As part of his Bar Mitzvah preparation, Gabe was asked to do a "Tzedakah" (charity) project. Instead of giving him a gift, he decided to ask his school friends to bring donations of Lego toys to support the Boys and Girls Club.
A focus of the integrated curriculum at WMA teaches students to give back to the community, and Gabe went above and beyond to include all his middle school friends in his mission.
