16 Dec 2017 St. Joseph students participate in ‘Stephanie’s Angels’ program

Almost 20 years ago, in 1998, the late Stephanie Schachmut began encouraging her religion class students at St. Joseph High School to buy Christmas presents for needy children in Faulkner County. She did so with grant money from the Robert and Mary Margaret Taylor Foundation which supports evangelization efforts along with individual student contributions.  

Mrs. Shachmut passed away in 2012, but her successor, Theresa Lutes keeps this drive alive with her seventh, ninth and 11th grade classes.

She calls her students "Stephanie’s Angels."  

This year, the Department of Child and Family Services provided Ms. Lutes a list of eight young boys in Faulkner County between the ages of 1-5 who are living in foster care. Their wish lists were also made available, which included clothing, books, learning games, bath toys and more. Ms. Lutes’  students, along with members of St. Joseph’s boys basketball team, went shopping for the gifts with funds from that same grant source and what money they could personally add. 

The gifts were picked up at the school for delivery by Els Strickland. She worked with Mrs. Shachmut when her effort started nearly two decades ago. She’s also been a longtime representative of the Children’s Advocacy Alliance of North Central Arkansas.