FAIRFIELD – A Washington Elementary School teacher in Fairfield took on a project to provide Christmas gifts for every elementary student in town.

Claire Christensen is in her first year as a kindergarten and first-grade teacher at Washington Elementary, getting a chance to teach at her alma mater after having graduated from Fairfield High School in 2018. Just a few months into her teaching career, Christensen took on a colossal project that had never been done before. She organized an event called “Stuff Your Stocking,” where she got about 16 businesses to set up booths in the FHS Commons and donate small toys to the district’s elementary students.

The ”Stuff Your Stocking” event was held Tuesday, Dec. 19, and welcomed more than 100 elementary students to the Commons where they received gifts, visited with Santa Claus, and listened to a performance courtesy of the FHS Vox choir.

“We truly appreciate the community support we received,” Christensen said. “It was especially rewarding to see the smiles on children’s faces, and we hope this is the first of an annual tradition that will grow.”

Christensen said there were many toys left over from the event because she asked businesses to provide between 300-400 trinkets to give away.

“We invited every student at Pence and Washington, and we have 260 students at Washington and Pence has even more,” Christensen said.

Volunteers bagged those left over toys and distributed 100 bags to Washington Elementary students and another 100 bags to Pence Elementary students who couldn’t be at the event.

Christensen said she got the idea to organize Stuff Your Stocking after visiting a Trunk or Treat event at Cardinal in October. She visited with the school’s guidance counselor, who told her about what a great fundraiser the event was. Christensen thought it would be nice to hold a similar event in the Fairfield school district, so she started brainstorming with Washington Elementary Principal Tina Townsend.

“I’m a special education teacher, so many of my students don’t get to experience Christmas,” Christensen said. “We tossed around ideas for Christmas, Easter or even next Halloween.”

Townsend liked the idea of doing something for Christmas this same school year, but that only gave them a month to prepare. Christensen got right to work, securing a date with the high school for when its gym would be available. The event was moved from the gym to the commons, and Christensen said she’s glad it was because there ended up being a huge line of people waiting to go through, and luckily they were able to wait inside.

Agri-Industrial Plastics stepped forward to donate the bags the kids used as stockings. Several businesses had multiple trinkets the kids could choose from, too.

“As far as I know, this is the first time Fairfield has done this,” Christensen said. “I’m so happy to be back in Fairfield. I went to UNI, and I had a lot of job offers around UNI and where I did my student teaching, but I told them I have to go back to Fairfield.”

Christensen said she hopes even more businesses will participate in the event next year, especially if she can start planning sooner. She said she was grateful for all the volunteers and fellow teachers who made this year’s event a success.

Businesses that participated in the event included:

Agri-Industrial Plastics, Cinema Fairfield, Dexter Laundry, Greater Fairfield Area Habitat for Humanity, Fairfield Dental Clinic, Fairfield High School, Fairfield Hy-Vee, Holt Family Dental Care, Jefferson County Ambulance Service, Libertyville Savings Bank, Little Superheroes, MidWestOne Bank, Pierson & Pierson Plumbing, Pilot Grove Savings Bank, Scarlett & Co + Events, Schaus-Vorhies Contracting, Smith Auto Parts, Washington Elementary School and Whitney Monument Works.