The boys of Conant dorm recently helped out a local family and spread some much-needed holiday cheer.

Mr. Hanford, the dorm parent of Conant, met a family in need through a friend of his involved in the Easthampton community. Hanford told Greg Iverson and Oliver Lawrence, the proctors of Conant, about this family’s tough situation, and during a dorm meeting, the boys of Conant, along with the Hanford family, decided to help out to add some presents under the family’s tree.

The Conant dorm raised around $200 dollars so that they could buy special gifts for the young boy. On December 21, the presents were delivered to the family’s house. The students raised the money by fundraising and asking kids in the dorm to donate a few dollars.

Senior Oliver Lawrence told The Willistonian about the many gifts they gave to the young boy, including “a baseball glove, some New Jersey Devils gear, snow boots, and Transformers DVDs.”

Greg, a junior, added, “We got the baseball glove due to the fact he didn’t have one and he’s the quite the baseball player. Also, we got him a Steph Curry jersey. That is his favorite player in the NBA and he [the boy] also plays basketball.”

The family — their name was kept anonymous — was very thankful for the generous help.

“The family reacted very well, as did the boy,” said Oliver. “He is very happy and grateful for what he has gotten, and this connection to Williston.

Helping this young boy made an impact on Oliver’s life.

“It made me feel happy giving to help the boy,” Oliver said. “My life is so different from his, and all I have heard is how he wants to do the same things I want to do. Play sports, go to school, but he is at a disadvantage. I may not be able to make his entire life better, but it still feels right if I am making him happy.”

The young boy then came to the Williston on Saturday January 14 to spend time with the boys varsity basketball team. He was invited to hang out with the team and work the bench during the game against The MacDuffie School.

The Williston basketball team went through their regular game-day routine, including the boy in everything from the pregame locker room talk to the shoot around an hour before warm-ups even started. He got to sit on the bench during the game as well.

Post-graduate Duncan LeXander enjoyed spending time with the young boy and letting him be a part of the team for a day.

“In the beginning he was pretty shy, it’s not every day you have a bunch of kids who are well over 6 feet talking to you and shooting around with you,” Duncan said. “I talked to him about his favorite players. Throughout the game I could see him get more into it. In the beginning he would stay seated when we got up for timeouts but towards the end he was one of the first people up to slap my hand when I was coming off the court.”