For the month of December, the Career Development classes collaborated with the Screaming Owls Booster Club on a community service project.  This time the groups sponsored a toy drive which benefitted Governor Rell’s Operation E.L.F. The students made posters to encourage the donation of toys. They also gathered all the toys and packed them for delivery to the Governor's 2nd Company Horse Guard, who delivered them to the Connecticut National Guard Armory for Operation  E.L.F.

The toys will go to children of 500 deployed troops who have left behind their families including 248 children. Many of these families have struggled emotionally - and financially - during the active duty assignments of their loved ones. The troops are deployed in Iraq, Kuwait, and Afghanistan.

Operation E.L.F., which stands for Embracing Lonely Families, was established in 2003 by then Lieutenant Governor M. Jodi Rell as a sincere gesture of support to our military families who were separated during the holiday season due to deployment, and potentially suffering tremendous financial hardship because of their call to active duty. Operation E.L.F. also provided the generous citizens of our great State an opportunity to "do something" to show their support of our men and women in uniform and their families who are also called to serve during mobilization.