MARIETTA, Ga. — Overcoming tragedy is difficult for any family, but around the holidays, missing a loved one can be especially hard. A nonprofit is working to ease that heartache with the help of some high school students who are spreading joy.
High School students at Lassiter High School are uplifting other kids in their class who have lost a parent this holiday season. They're working with the Joy Mission to help make the holidays brighter for their classmates and friends.
"They just started wrestling two weeks ago... so now we are learning that, so it's busy, but I wouldn't change anything," said Lindsey Banos.
It's busy for the now family of eight in Marietta. Banos said her kids are all doing the best they can after four of them lost their parents within a week last year.
"One after another, just bam bam. They had to change school systems and move counties, they literally just lost everything in the span of a weekend," she said.
The four children escaped a house fire in Buford that killed their mom, Febe Santos. Just days later, their dad, Humberto Giron, died following COVID-19. The children all moved in with Lindsey and her four kids.
They enrolled in Lassiter High School where other students there wanted to help.
"It serves to remind the kids that there are people still helping them. When this all first happened, they just didn't udnerstand, they were devastated, they were trying to get through life. But things like this let them know that there are still people who think about them and pray for them and care about them and their struggles," she said.
Their classmates were inspired by The Joy Mission, a local nonprofit founded by Natalie Sorrells, after her sister was killed by an alleged drunk driver when her daughter was just 2 years old.
"These kids are still grieving. I know they're resilient, but they're grieving," she said.
Sorrells started the nonprofit to give kids a way to talk about their grief and find joy while working through it.
"It brings awareness to grief. It feels so often like the elephant in the room. And people don't know what to say," she said.
So, they talk about what the kids love. The nonprofit had an art gallery opening for a little girl who loves to paint and sent a family who loves Mickey Mouse to Disney.
For the Santos/Giron kids, they're taking care of all the Christmas presents to make their holiday a little brighter.
"Things happen in life that we can't predict. So withhold judgment sometimes. some of our children are Hispanic, some are biracial, some are white. Families come in all different shapes, all different sizes, and the important thing is that there's love there. As long as there's love there, that's the most important," Banos said.
The Joy Mission is working with this family through Christmas, but they spark joy for kids who have lost a parent all year long. Anyone who wants to learn more about their mission, visit their website.