By Cindy Granier
Steven Burns, a safety specialist in the Environmental Health and Life Safety Department at the University of Houston, helped make Christmas a little bit brighter for some students in the Alief Independent School District .
Burns’ wife, Dakota, is a secondary language and reading interventionist at Collins Elementary School in Alief ISD. The school, located in a low socioeconomic area, is classified as a Title I campus, with over 1,100 culturally diverse students.
Burns brought in to the office a cute Santa box to encourage co-workers to donate toys to this underprivileged school and community.
Many EHLS and Campus Safety staff members donated to the cause, filling the Santa box with toys. The donations were then given to children at the school between the ages of 4 and 10. Through EHLS and Campus Safety’s involvement, Collins Elementary was able to reach out to children who were in need in the community.
“The pure joy and surprise in the faces of each child was truly unforgettable,” Burns said. “The children, parents and staff of Collins Elementary will never forget this wonderful act of kindness. The generosity of this office and department never ceases to amaze me.”
On behalf of the UH Environmental Health and Life Safety’s generosity, he received a certificate from Collins Elementary School as a token of their appreciation.