As Christmas rolls around again, the Lady Cougars basketball team is preparing to put on their annual “Blue Christmas” event, helping families in the community who are struggling this holiday season.

Jessica Moore (Jess), a senior, has been playing basketball at Edgewood for 12 years now, since kindergarten. This will be her fourth and final year participating in the program’s Blue Christmas event. 

“We get in groups, usually led by a senior or junior, and we’re assigned a family. We go shopping for the family, buy gifts for the kids, and then we wrap everything up and deliver it all to the families,” said Jess. 

The size of the families and their needs range anywhere from two parents with just one kid to as many as three or four. 

“The coaches organize the event and are there to help us along the way,” said Jess, “I think it’s really great we get a chance to give back to the community after all the support they give us during our season.”

The money for the gifts and supplies is donated to the women’s program from Edgewood’s youth rec (recreational) program in exchange for the older girl’s help in refereeing the youth games. 

Jess said, “Watching the kids open their presents and seeing how happy they are is a great feeling.”

Families that are selected from the community aren’t random either. These families fill out a form provided by Edgewood City Schools and the team will help any and all families that apply. 

This holiday season, the Lady Cougars will be playing their role to help bring the community just a little closer together.

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas!