Bradford Middle School’s cheerleaders volunteered their time on Dec. 4 to help Parkside Assisted Living Facility celebrate Christmas.
A cake-decorating competition paired each Parkside resident with a cheerleader. Each team received a can of icing and a box of supplies and had the following rules to adhere to: Each cake had to have a Christmas tree and a gingerbread house as well as either a snowman or gingerbread man.
Any team that wanted additional supplies for their cakes could have them at a cost, appropriate for the holiday — they had to sing a verse of a Christmas song. The one-hour long and featured lots of singing. Minnie Lou Patray and cheerleader Kylee Kerr sang “Silent Night” for extra graham crackers, Mary Stamper and cheerleader Lakelyn Sheppard sang “Jingle Bell Rock” for extra Teddy Grahams, and Ramona Crapse and cheerleader Katherine Brugh sang “Here Comes Santa Claus” for extra gumdrops.
Besides singing, laughter filled the room, especially when one resident forgot that the candy was for decorating and not to snack on. That was an easy fix, however. It only cost a team one song for additional candy.
The Honorable Judge Phyllis Rosier examined the completed cakes, making sure they met the requirements. She deemed the team of Mary Sue Tomlinson and cheerleader Laney Griffis as the winner.
When it was all over, the cheerleaders learned that community service can be fun as well as rewarding.
