First-graders brighten YANA Thanksgiving

FALLBROOK — Each autumn, the students in Cynthia Greer’s first grade class at Maie Ellis School participate with local San Diego County Sheriff Deputies and members of the Senior Volunteer Patrol 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 visited 50 YANA seniors and delivered white bags filled with food, treats and flowers. And, 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.

Greer became involved with the YANA program about seven years ago when longtime friend Gladyce Hiscock, a member of the Sheriff’s Senior Volunteer Patrol, contacted her about decoration ideas. Each year Greer’s first-graders create artwork that is attached to the bags.

This year, parent Cecelia Guadarrama volunteered her time to supervise the art projects and secure the artwork to each bag, then worked with each student to personalize the bags. The entire decoration process requires several days during four to five weeks and all are dedicated to its timeline and accomplishment.

On November 16, Greer’s class presented the bags to Senior Volunteer Patrol member Anne Adams and San Diego County Sheriff’s Detective (and former Maie Ellis student) Teresa Adams-Hydar.

Thanks to this arrangement, the students learn about giving of themselves to those less fortunate, while the seniors learn that they are remembered on Thanksgiving Day.

The students involved this year were Alyssa Unger, Ana Uriarte, Blake Greene, Edgar Bastidas, Erick Soto, Genevieve Chavez, Gisselle Campos, Haiti Diaz, Ishmael Guadarrama, Janet Guerrero, Laurel Sexton, Lizeth Luciano, Marcel Munoz, Monica Ramirez, Nathan Small, Samantha Rubio and Tanner Colony.