The Willoughby-Eastlake City School District Christmas stocking project started as a small idea in a Royalview Elementary School classroom 15 years ago. The project has since grown from between 30 and 35 stockings to 507, the highest amount of stockings to be donated throughout the Cleveland area fo r children in need this year. Cherise Goodrich, a fourth-grade teacher at The School of Innovation, recalls when she was teaching at Royalview and the lesson that sparked the stocking project. “I was teaching the kids and I was reading a book to them, and honestly, I don’t even remember what the book was, but it was about a little boy and his father who fell on hard times during Christmas,” Goodrich recalled. “When the book was over, some of these students I had in front of me said, ‘Do people really have that kind of struggle?’ I said ‘yes. They do.’ They said, ‘We want to help them. How can we help?’ ” At that moment, Goodrich wasn’t sure, but proceeded to think about it and talk it over with her husband. “We came up with some ideas and then I went back to school, and talked to some of those kids about the ideas,” she said. “From that conversation, the stocking project was started. That very first year, we built about 30 to 35 stockings. There are 507 of them out in that lobby right now.” During the first year of the project, students brought in items while Goodrich cut out sewing fabric to make the stockings. Through a connection, Goodrich reached out to the Cleveland Police Department, District 2 and The Cleveland Police Foundation, and found they had a special party for families in need during the holidays. The stockings were then donated to the party and the partnership was born. “There is no idea or thought or nothing you can do to help that is too small,” Goodrich said. “It just takes one little idea that can grow bigger. I bet we have helped thousands and thousands of people over the last 15 years.” The year following the first year of the project, the same group of students again donated stockings, however, the class donated more than 50 stockings by fundraising and donating items for the stockings. In the years following, the project grew and became a school-wide effort, which allowed all students the opportunity to fundraise money to purchase items for the stockings to help fill them. About 10 years ago, Goodrich moved over to The School of Innovation and continued the project. At that time, stockings were donated by a local business — and continue to be — and handed out to families who wanted to fill them for Cleveland children. This change allowed the project to grow even more. Over the years, past students have continued to contribute to the cause by donating items, filling stockings and purchasing candy bars — several from the first class of students who started it all. Additionally, local businesses have got involved by collection donations that have allowed them to help more kids. The Willoughby-Eastlake City School District Christmas stocking project started as a small idea in a Royalview Elementary School classroom 15 years ago. (Marah Morrison -- The News-Herald)The Willoughby-Eastlake City School District Christmas stocking project started as a small idea in a Royalview Elementary School classroom 15 years ago. (Marah Morrison -- The News-Herald)The Willoughby-Eastlake City School District Christmas stocking project started as a small idea in a Royalview Elementary School classroom 15 years ago. (Marah Morrison -- The News-Herald)The Willoughby-Eastlake City School District Christmas stocking project started as a small idea in a Royalview Elementary School classroom 15 years ago. (Marah Morrison -- The News-Herald)Show Caption1 of 4The Willoughby-Eastlake City School District Christmas stocking project started as a small idea in a Royalview Elementary School classroom 15 years ago. (Marah Morrison -- The News-Herald)Expand “This is a testament to the people involved — the community members involved,” Goodrich said. “It’s not something one person does, but it’s something everybody builds on and participates in. It’s a blessing.” Now, annually, Santa Claus visits The School of Innovation with members of The Cleveland Police Foundation to pick up all of the stockings and spread joy to students as a way to thank them for their generosity. This year, students from the original group were invited to come and participate in the event on Dec. 11 as a way to showcase how the idea grew over the years. Eight of the original students involved in the project were in attendance. “It’s touching,” Goodrich said. “It’s the things you don’t plan. You can make all the great lesson plans in the world, but these are life lessons and important lessons. I will always have a special place in my heart for those kids. Above anything I taught them, they took it upon themselves to be generous, to take an idea and run with it. I’m blessed to have them be here today.” First Interstate Properties has donated all stockings that are filled and this year, OsteoStrong in Willoughby collected items in addition to what students filled in the stockings. “We have tons of community support and then just the community of The School of Innovation, and all the families who donate every year,” Goodrich said. “I also have a past student whose parents reach out to me every year and they donate Malley’s candy bars.” The variety of what’s inside of the stockings has also grown along with the project. “When we first started doing this, it was not like that,” Goodrich said. “We fundraised money and they all looked the same. Now, they are filled with all kinds of things — toys, games, candy, essentials, cars, Barbie dolls, anything you could imagine.” Goodrich said she would love to see this project continue to grow and evolve going forward. “I’ve heard how many families are touched by this across the Cleveland community, so every year, we make it a goal to try to do a little bit better than the year before,” she said. “This was our highest year with 507. We just want to continue to see it grow because the more we can do, the more families we reach.” ...read more read less