Student Council held its annual Project Santa event on Dec. 14. Project Santa is a student-run holiday celebration for patients at Texas Children’s Hospital and their families. Clubs and organizations come together to create a lively atmosphere with games and performances.
“We connected with one of the representatives from Texas Children’s Hospital, and since this has been an annual thing, we’ve developed a pretty good relationship with them,” STUCO vice president of community programs and senior Charles Yu said. “So every year, they just send us a list of 100 or so kids that are willing to participate.”
STUCO members planned a schedule for the day so the event would be fun yet organized. The eMotion Dance Company officers, including senior eMotion Modern vice president Francesca Camerlo, were invited to dance to holiday songs.
“Dancing was a great opportunity to show people outside the dance world a performance they would hopefully enjoy,” Camerlo said. “It was a fun opportunity that put a smile on people’s faces.”
The clubs were the backbone of the day. Over 20 clubs organized booths and adopted kids to donate gifts for. As president of Key Club, Camerlo also ran a booth.
“For Key Club we made paper snowflakes, which was great because it was inexpensive and fun,” Camerlo said. “The best part was seeing the kids’ faces as they opened up their snowflakes.”
To Camerlo, Project Santa is a meaningful way for kids who may not get to experience holiday festivities to feel “seen and recognized.” The event helped give back to the community in a creative manner.
“Seeing my shy daughter with anxiety singing karaoke was the highlight of my day, ” mom of three kids, Hope Bueno said. “ I was also so shocked to see my youngest boy play with all the grown ups without being scared.”
STUCO aims to not only plan events for Bellaire Students, but also make a greater impact to the general public.
“Project Santa gives kids a chance for them to come out from the hospital room and just get a chance to experience fun festivities,” Yu said. “Our mission is to lift the weight off their shoulders and have a Christmas celebration.”
To stay updated on STUCO’s upcoming plans, check its instagram page: @bellaire.stuco.
![A healthcare worker prepares a student's cot before they donate blood. "For the most part, especially [at] bigger high schools, a lot of kids come in to donate because they want to get started on doing something good," healthcare worker Yuridia Rojas said. "And we do have a few people that, you know, do like to miss class."](https://threepennypress.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/4FRh635esmyOx3O06IdBmi6AdV1W6zb4y3J59wSm-1200x755.jpg)
