Gabriel Moreno, a 2017 graduate of Christel House Indianapolis, called his alma mater with an offer – would the school accept $10,000 in laptop sleeves, book bags, computer cables, chargers, ear buds and other merchandise? Gabriel was very happy to help his school. “Christel House had a great impact on my life” he says.
Moreno is a Zone Manager for Paradies Lagardère, a leading North America travel retailer and restaurateur. They operate eight travel stores located inside the Indianapolis International Airport. At the end of 2022, the company was looking to refresh their inventory and needed to clear shelf space in their stores – but what to do with the displaced merchandise? “I asked my manager, ‘Do you think we could donate this?’ and she said, ‘Yes, do you have a place in mind?’,” he recalls. “And I said, ‘My old school!” He shared how Christel House helps kids that need support. “I was really excited when they gave a green-light for the donation.” Moreno delivered cartons of items to Kara Moreland, College & Careers Administrator (pictured left) and Paige Pittman, Christel House Watanabe High School Principal. “We’ll go through all the donations and divide them up for the high school classrooms, so teachers have resources to use for all of the students,” says Moreland. “Items that are appropriate for elementary students will be shared with our South and West schools. We’ll also share with our DORS adult high school students as well.” Gabriel has fond memories of his time at Christel House. “I had a lot of good experiences and got to do a lot of things that I may not have been able to do at other schools,” he says. “Christel House did a lot for me. I wanted to give back and do something for them.”