Every year, Lisa Russo of Salem reads The Eagle-Tribune's Santa Fund stories to her son Joseph. This year, 7-year-old Joseph asked if he could help the people they read about.
Joseph asked his mother if he could break open his piggy bank and give the contents to the Santa Fund. And he generously volunteered the piggy bank of his 2-year-old brother, James, too.
"It wasn't much," Lisa said of the money that came from their savings.
The amount didn't matter, however. Rather, Lisa is happy to know her son feels empathy toward other people and is willing to imagine what it's like to walk in their shoes.
"For him to dig into his piggy bank is for him to try the shoes on," she said.
Now, Joseph is anxious to hear the Santa Fund stories.
"He asks, 'What's the story today, Mom?'" Lisa said. "I can only hope that it helps him to grow up to appreciate other people's feelings."
— Alexandra Pecci
