CCS kindergarten through eighth graders will sponsor a local family for the Christmas season.

During the third annual Thanksgiving program, the Creating Rural Opportunities Partnership (CROP), and the State University of New York at Oneonta AmeriCorp teamed up with the students for a craft and bake sale to raise money in hopes of adopting a needy family for the holidays.

"We made over $400 from our craft sale," said Heather Salvaggio, AmeriCorp member. "It was very successful. The kids had a really good time."

Through the Otsego County Department of Social Services, the students were able to sponsor a 29-year-old mother who had two girls, ages 9 and 3, she said.

"I think the kids had a genuine feeling of helping create a special holiday for a family," said Rosemary Brodersen, site Coordinator for CROP.

After Americorp members Salvaggio and Kim Johannansen shopped for the gifts, the students were able to look at what their craft sale had helped to buy. Salvaggio said she was surprised that several younger students actually slipped quarters and nickles into the bags of gifts.

They told AmeriCorp members that they left more little presents for the family in the bags.

Salvaggio said the students really got the message of helping others in need through the project.

Older students were able to help AmeriCorp members label the gifts before they were handed over to the social services caseworker.

"I was very impressed with the AmeriCorp staff," said Brodersen. "They took charge in actively seeing the program to the end."

"We wanted the kids to have fun," Salvaggio said.

With ideas from AmeriCorp members, each grade created their own crafts and baked goods for the sale. She described the crafts as being educational because the students learned to measure ingredients for recipes, bake and make signs on the computer.

Betsy Morcom, Program Manager for CROP, said the after school program currently contains 6 sites, including Cooperstown, Edmeston, Laurens, Milford, Morris, and Worchester Central Schools.

CROP also has 3 community partners, including SUNY AmeriCorp, Upper Catskill Community Council for the Arts and The LEAF Council on Alcoholism and Addictions.

With a total of 535 student participants, Morcom said 135 of them are from Cooperstown.