Shady Side Academy eighth grader Emily Davidheiser and third grader Sam Davidheiser helped to lead a holiday card drive for patients at the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System hospital in Oakland, recruiting students at all three SSA campuses to participate.

The Davidheisers, who live on the Senior School campus, invited members of the Senior School boarding community to participate in the drive by making cards during community dinners. Emily also coordinated a contest at the Middle School, offering a dress-down day as prize to the class who contributed the most cards, and Sam wrote and performed a skit at a Junior School assembly to solicit contributions from students and faculty there. Combined, the SSA community contributed more than 400 cards to the drive, with the Junior School's 180 leading the way.

This was the third year for the drive, which was sponsored by ATA Martial Arts Oakmont taekwondo school. Emily is a second-degree black belt student, a member of the Junior Leadership Program and a trainee instructor at the school, and Sam is a red belt and a member of the S.W.A.T. Team (a precursor to the leadership program).

Overall, the ATA drive yielded more than 700 hand-made holiday cards from various individuals and organizations. Emily and the ATA junior leadership group spent nearly three hours delivering cards and visiting with patients at the VA hospital in Oakland on Dec. 21, accompanied by ATA instructor and hospital staff member Rico Corsaro. The remaining cards were distributed to patients who were unable to receive visitors that day.

Great work, Emily and Sam!