SJS Students Honoring First Responders

Saint James Catholic School (SJS) students today honored first responders as part of their Middle School Day of Service Project. The annual tradition honors SJS student Tai Le who passed away in 2017. 

Students collected items donated by SJS families and friends to make 700 gift bags for local firefighters, police officers, hospital staff and emergency workers. The gifts, presented to first responders in the school gymnasium today, included snacks, non-food items and a keepsake card. 

“SJS families, faculty and staff work together to instill in students the importance of servant leadership. This is a day that our students will look back on with great pride,” said SJS Principal Sister Marie Hannah. “Tai enjoyed giving back to his community and helping others, and we are blessed to honor his memory in this way.”   

“Our department daily depends on the support and understanding of citizens of all ages in our community,” said Officer John Thomas, Elizabethtown Police Department. “The support of our students means the world to us.”

The annual Middle School Day of Service is made possible through an endowment established in Tai Le’s name by his parents, Drs. Tao Le and Thao Pham. SJS is the beneficiary of the endowment, managed by the Central Kentucky Community Foundation, which allows for a middle school Day of Service in perpetuity. The tradition began in 2019. 

“So many in our community, particularly first responders, have overcome extraordinary challenges over the past year,” Sister Marie Hannah said. “Our students wanted to let them know how grateful we are for their sacrifice and service.”