Columbus teens fill Boxes of Joy

By Emily Chaffins -

DORAL | As soon as Nicholas Rousseau heard that his club from Christopher Columbus High School would be volunteering at the Box of Joy National Screening Center in Doral, he jumped on the opportunity.

“I get a lot of joy being here at Box of Joy,” said the senior from St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Miami. “I get here happy, and I leave here happy."

For about a decade, “Box of Joy” has sent Christmas gifts to impoverished children around the world. The program is organized by Cross Catholic Outreach, an international nonprofit ministry that works in more than 30 countries to provide the poor with access to food, water, housing, education, medical care, disaster relief and more. On Dec. 10, 2024, Forbes magazine ranked Cross Catholic Outreach #42 in America’s Top 100 Charities.

On Dec. 12, 2024, more than 30 students from Columbus’s Stand for the Silent anti-bullying club helped assemble Boxes of Joy in Doral. The students screened box contents, ensuring they fit customs regulations, and prepared the boxes for shipping. The Boxes of Joy are filled with toys, hygiene products, school supplies, clothing, rosaries and a “Story of Jesus” booklet in three languages. These items are donated by churches, schools, ministries and organizations from across the United States. This year, once the boxes are screened, they will be sent to children ages 2 to 14 in almost 10 countries. If any of the items do not meet customs regulations, Cross Catholic Outreach donates them to Miami charities.

Brother Albert Rivera, director of Service Learning at Columbus, said volunteering is key to his order’s charism. “For the Marist Brothers, service is key to our congregation, especially to the poor and vulnerable,” he explained. “At Columbus, we’re helping students change their perspective on poverty, inviting them to do service through the lens of our charism, asking, ‘what are simple things we can do to help?’”

Groups from Columbus have been volunteering with Box of Joy for four years, and the Dec. 12 group was the fourth group to volunteer in the past two months. One student recalled Brother Rivera's words  to the teens, “you’re not going to see the recipient, but you prepare the box like you’re presenting it to your little brother or sister.”

“It’s great just watching them put themselves in the shoes of 7- or 8-year-olds, imagining the joy they’ll feel when they open the box,” said Jorge Garrigo, a teacher at Columbus and moderator of Stand for the Silent club.

According to Scott Gustafson, Box of Joy’s coordinator of volunteer engagement, more than 133,000 boxes were shipped last year. An average of 1,500 volunteers are involved at the Doral screening center each season to make Box of Joy possible. While all Florida high school students are required to perform 100 hours of community service as part of their graduation requirement, Gustafson said he hopes the teen volunteers “come away with satisfaction that they’ve done something for somebody else and provided a gift.”

“We do see students who have graduated from high school and college who still come back from time to time to volunteer. That’s a great thing to see,” Gustafson said. “For these children to get something through Box of Joy that they wouldn’t normally receive is important. Some people say these kids need food and water, and they do, and Cross Catholic provides that. But just imagine being a child and receiving a gift you wouldn’t ever receive. For instance, one of their favorite items is soccer balls, because groups of kids can play with them.”

This is exactly what motivates Michael Say, a Columbus senior and a parishioner at St. Thomas the Apostle Parish. “Box of Joy is special because a lot of these kids don’t have any toys to have fun with. The gifts they receive from Box of Joy can help them spend more time together and have more fun.”

Fellow senior Adrian Cardero said a Box of Joy can make the “whole holiday season” for a child in need. “It lets you put it into perspective how blessed you are,” said the St. Catherine of Siena parishioner.

TO LEARN MORE

To learn more about Box of Joy and how to get involved, visit crosscatholic.org/box-of-joy/.

Photographer: EMILY CHAFFINS | FC

Christopher Columbus High students screen and prepare “Boxes of Joy” with Christmas gifts for underprivileged children at Box of Joy National Screening Center in Doral Dec. 12, 2024.