Harmony Hill teachers recognized for giving back to the community

Harmony Hill School teachers not only try to instill good character traits into the lives of the students they teach, they also exhibit them in their daily lives.

The teachers were recognized in this past winter by Vanderheyden, a nonprofit agency that serves children and families, for donating gifts to children there for more than a decade.

The organization, located in Troy, provides day, residential, educational, clinical, recreational, health, life skills and respite programs for children and young adults.

Harmony Hill teachers have been creating Christmas stockings and Easter baskets for the children enrolled in one of the organization’s programs, Our Best Road Home, for the past 12 years.

The teachers not only make sure that the dozen or so students receive books, said Patti DeVito, coordinator for volunteer services at Vanderheyden, but they also try to personalize the gifts so that the children get presents that reflect their interests.

The teachers were presented with the certificate of appreciation during the eighth annual Staff and Volunteer Recognition Dinner at The Century House.