NSCSD student again collecting blankets for the homeless

By Sarah Hall

Editor

Every January since 2010, DJ Villnave has collected blankets for the homeless.

Come this January, he won’t be doing it anymore — instead, he’s moved the event to November.

Villnave, now an eighth-grader at North Syracuse Junior High School, started DJ’s Gift of Warmth at the age of 7 after seeing a news story on television about the Rescue Mission’s work with the homeless and the concerns about frostbite among the men living on the street. He originally aimed to collect 40 blankets at his school, KWS Bear Road Elementary.

In the years since, the event has grown by leaps and bounds. Last year, the drive collected more than 600 blankets. Since its inception, DJ’s Gift of Warmth has collected more than 3,500 blankets and more than $2,000 for the Rescue Mission.

Villnave has received several accolades for his work, including the Youth Impact Award, for which he was nominated by the Rescue Mission and given a plaque and a medal by Biz Events. He also received a Youth Service Agency (YSA) grant for $1,000, which he donated to the Rescue Mission.

Villnave was named a Distinguished Finalist in the 20th annual Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program, for which the New York State Legislature issued a legislative resolution congratulating him. Villnave is also a two-time Pop Warner All-American.

Though the drive is usually held in January, Villnave decided to move it to November this year to accommodate Lakeshore Road Elementary, which asked to use the blanket drive as their November community giveback event. The district believed it would be best to have all of the schools participate instead of just one and Villnave and his family agreed. So this year, every school building in the North Syracuse Central School District will act as a dropoff point, as will Sacred Heart Church on Route 11 in Cicero.

The drive runs from Nov. 1 to 30. For more information, visit Facebook.com/DJsGiftOfWarmth.