Syracuse, N.Y. — Micah Alexander Jones sat with his parents at their kitchen table writing a letter to Santa Claus, but he was not asking for presents for himself.
He just wanted to make sure every student in his second-grade class at Bellevue Elementary in Syracuse had at least one gift under their tree this Christmas.
Micah, 7, helped organize an event meant to provide Christmas gifts to his classmates Friday afternoon at his school, district officials said in a news release. A second-grade class at Frazer Pre-K-8 School also received gifts, they said.
“Santa would want me to bring a gift for everyone,” Micah said. “This is what God wants me to do. He would want me to make sure that everyone has gifts. It feels amazing to be able to help.”
About 50 students were set to receive gifts said Micah’s father, Nitchaborie L. Jones
“Ideally we wanted to give gifts to every second-grade class around the city of Syracuse because Micah’s in the second grade and he said he wanted to give gifts to his peers,” said Jones, a community activist and youth pastor in Syracuse.
The donated gifts included coloring books, nail painting kits, footballs, microscopes, dolls, Nerf toys, bead sets, pajamas and more, according to the release.
The Jones family began the Micah Alexander Jones (MAJ) Project, which has organized bookbag drives and Trunk-or-Treat events in Syracuse, about three years ago when a then 4-year-old Micah gave away his bookbag to a friend whose parents were unable to afford one.
Micah went to his first day at the Most Holy Rosary School in Syracuse with a brand new bookbag, his father said. He came home without it.
“He told us he gave it to a friend because his mom and dad couldn’t afford to get the student a bookbag, Jones said. “They were going through a rough time in their life. That kind of sparked something in us.”
For the last three years, Micah and his parents have organized a bookbag giveaway before the start of the school year in September.
Friday’s event began at noon, with representatives from the school district and local elected officials in attendance.
Besides helping provide Christmas presents and bookbags to his classmates, Micah said he would also like to help feed for the hungry.
His dad said “being a very spiritual man, I am just grateful to God for allowing me the opportunity to father such a compassionate, empathetic and loving young man such as Micah.
“He has been found giving more than he receives,” Jones said. “This has been something that he has been doing since he could walk and talk. His mother and I feel very fortunate to have a child with the characteristics Micah possesses.”
