s tu d e nt s pot l i ght by Ell ie Rober to Photo courtesy of Tanya Rosier
Teen Spirit of Giving
Dublin Jerome student continues annual donation drive
Since she was in third grade, now 14-year-old Anna Rosier has been spreading Christmas cheer by helping the underserved in her community with an annual Our Hand to the Homeless winter break donation drive. Anna’s not your typical high school freshman. Yes, she loves spending time with family and friends, and she’s a decorated soccer player, having won the Midwest Regional National Cup this year with her club team, but it’s her continuous and growing commitment to bettering her community that sets Anna apart. In normal years, the Rosiers – Anna; her mom, Tanya; dad, Kip; and brothers, Connor and Peyton – open their home for dozens of strangers and friends to make blankets, pack sandwiches and organize supplies to deliver to local shelters. In 2019, community volunteers made more than 350 bagged lunches, 116 blankets
Anna and friends with a carful of donations.
Volunteers wrapping blankets in the Rosier's home in 2019. 34 • December 2021/January 2022
and 100 hygiene packs for various organizations. Last year, however, Anna and her team of volunteers had to adapt to continue her seven-year-long tradition. “I was really encouraged with Anna last year because I think at the beginning, just being young I thought, ‘Well, maybe she’s not going to be able to do this,’ but she got creative and figured out a way,” says Tanya. With heightened health concerns, Anna couldn’t pass out food or open her door to those willing to help like in years past, but she refused to turn her back on the community that needed her most. Instead, she adapted her methods. In November 2020, Anna posted on her mom’s Facebook page explaining how the annual drive would be different. She placed a bin on her family’s porch for people to drop off donations safely, and www.dublinlifemagazine.com
