MORGAN PARK — Beatrice Davis began wrapping gifts in October for the 490 students at Shoop Academy in Morgan Park.
She was just finishing up Thursday morning as a group of second graders lined up in the lunchroom at 11140 S. Bishop Ave. — each one eagerly waiting to receive a package.
"We all give back. That's all," said Davis, who was among a group of about 15 volunteers who arrived at the academy to hand out gifts.
Nearly all of the volunteers were alumni of the school perched just east of Interstate 57. They included members of the Morgan Park Roots Association and the Just Up Morgan Parkers or JUMP.
Some of the volunteers at Shoop Academy paused for a picture as they passed out gifts Thursday morning. Most of those in the group attended the school in Morgan Park. [DNAinfo/Howard A. Ludwig]
Davis said the Roots group has been bringing gifts to the school for more than a decade. She said members of the two groups pool their money annually to buy presents.
Each student receives a hat, gloves, a bag of candy and a small gift — such as gym shoes, a game or a pocket radio, Davis said.
The Jump group meets regularly for lunch and has been around for about 10 years, said member Burma Sanders. Meanwhile, Davis said the Roots organization was started nearly 45 years ago by Helen Warren.
A group of second-grade students wait eagerly to receive a gift Thursday morning at Shoop Academy in Morgan Park. [DNAinfo/Howard A. Ludwig]
The Roots group is perhaps best known for hosting an annual picnic the first Saturday in August at Ada Park, which draws neighborhood residents past and present.
Many of the volunteers still live near their grade school alma mater, including Kay Trammel. She graduated in the 1960s and remembers when the school was much smaller in size.
Shoop's Principal Salik Mukarram said students look forward to the holiday gifts each year. And he hopes seeing residents reach out to the neighborhood school will encourage them to do the same someday.
"The Morgan Park community is really great," Mukarram said. "So many people are connected to Shoop."
Two groups of neighborhood residents and supporters annually pool their money to buy every student at Shoop Academy in Morgan Park a gift. The volunteers are mostly alumni of the school perched just east of Interstate 57. [DNAinfo/Howard A. Ludwig]
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