Students decorate bags for YANA

FALLBROOK — Each autumn, the students in Cynthia Greer’s first grade class at Maie Ellis School participate with local San Diego County Sheriff’s Deputies and Volunteer Sheriff’s Deputies in the You Are Not Alone (YANA) program. The deputies check daily on Rainbow, Fallbrook and Bonsall senior citizens (YANAs) who live alone. On Thanksgiving Day, the deputies visit 50 YANA seniors to deliver white bags filled with food, treats and flowers. That is where the students come in. The YANA seniors do not receive plain white bags; they receive white bags decorated with autumn art made by the first grade students.

Mrs. Greer became involved with the YANA program about six years ago when longtime friend Glad Hiscock, a San Diego County Volunteer Deputy, contacted her about decoration ideas. Each year her first grade students create artworks that are attached to the bags, and each year Mrs. Greer invites other students to participate with her class. This year, Jill Butler’s first-graders also donated their time and artistic skills to the project. Parent Hilda Gutierrez volunteered her time to secure the artworks to each bag and worked with each student to personalize the bags. The entire decoration process requires several hours over several days, and all are dedicated to its timeline and accomplishment.

On November 17, both classes gave their bags to San Diego County Volunteer Sheriffs Al Hooper and Anne Adams. The students learn about giving of themselves to people less fortunate, and the seniors learn that they are remembered on Thanksgiving Day.

Students involved: Amanda Gutierrez, Caroline Murphy, Cynthia Jones, Daniela Gonzales, Daniela Zuniga, David Oliva, Enrique Correa, Freddy Haas, Ixlaly Quintero, Joey Solana, Jonah Fledderman, Jonathan Velasquez, Mayra Cresencio, Michael Plumley, Rebecca Williams, Ryeder Geyer, Tyler Wolfe, Vincent Costa and Zach Jones. Also participating: Kenia Basurto, Emiliana Ordonez, Angelica Beltran, Suzetty Castellanos, Brian Cifuentes, Roberto Contreras, Angel Flores, Stevie-Ray Franck, Christopher Galindo, Christian Kittle, Caleb Maxwell, Christopher Neal, Madison Noyes, Mackenzie Ogden, Rachel Cortez, Victoria Russell, Rosalinda Salvador, Christian Soto, Oscar Vega and Celso Gonzalez.