Once Helped By Adopt-A-Family, West Babylon Alum Helps Support Nearly 100 Families

WEST BABYLON, NY — Throughout December, West Babylon Senior High School transforms into a hub of generosity, compassion, and service, as students, staff, and alumni work together to support families facing hardship during the holiday season.

At the heart of these efforts is the school’s LEO Club, advised by social worker Jaime Lemmo, which is spearheading its annual Adopt-A-Family initiative. This year, LEO Club members are organizing and wrapping gifts for 30 local families, part of a districtwide effort that now supports nearly 100 families each holiday season. Families are identified through school social workers and counselors, with privacy and confidentiality maintained throughout the process.

“It started kind of small,” Lemmo said. “We adopted maybe 10 to 20 families, and now we adopt around 100 as a district. We adopt 30 in the high school alone. It’s actually one of my favorite parts of Christmas. We have the elf workshop down in my office. There are people wrapping presents all over. The kids love it because they love giving back.”

This year’s Adopt-A-Family effort carries special meaning thanks to the involvement of West Babylon Senior High School alumnus Mike Krass, Class of 2018, whose connection to the program comes full circle. As a student, Krass was once on the receiving end of the initiative after losing his father to pancreatic cancer during middle school.

“When I was younger, from ninth through 11th grade, I was a part of this Adopt-A-Family program through the high school,” Krass recalled. “Every year for Christmas, it made it so much better. All the gifts that the families were donating really made an impact.”

The holidays weren’t always easy for Krass; losing his father changed how he experienced the season. Over time, he learned to reframe what the holidays could look like.

“I really never liked the holidays as much,” he said. “Whenever Christmas came around, I didn’t have the same excitement as everyone else. As I got older, I realized I didn’t have to think about my past traditions. I could make my own traditions. This is kind of my way of doing that. It’s something I can look forward to every year.”

Now 25, Krass owns and invests in several local businesses, including a growing chain of pizzerias he has helped expand over the past two years, and has made giving back a central part of his work.

This year marks Krass’s third year participating in Adopt-A-Family as a donor, a tradition he began three years ago after becoming able to give back as a business owner, during which he has supported five families and eight children.

“I take whatever I can get,” he said. “Whatever I can do, I do.”

His businesses have allowed him to expand his impact beyond the holidays. Krass said that when SNAP benefits were temporarily suspended earlier this year, his pizzeria organized a community drive to help families in need.

“We helped over 300 families,” he said. “We fed 300 families and raised about $5,000 for grocery gift cards for SNAP recipients. That was another way we could give back.”

For Lemmo, watching Krass return to the program that once helped his family has been deeply meaningful.

“Mike is my favorite,” she said. “The fact that he turned it around and is now doing it for other families touched me so much. When you’re doing it, you’re not allowed to let anybody know who they are. To watch it go full circle just gives me more momentum to want to do it again.”

She added that Krass’s story resonates strongly with students, many of whom see his journey as proof that small acts of kindness can have lasting effects.

“When students find out about him, they say things like, ‘I’m going to be the one who does that when I get older,’” Lemmo said. “It makes people hopeful that you give to somebody, they do something with their life, and then they give back. It really goes full circle.”

Beyond Adopt-A-Family, LEO Club members will also take part in the Kids Need More “Cheer Bus,” a long-standing tradition through Kids Need More, a nonprofit that supports children and families impacted by illness, trauma and hardship. On Sunday, students will board the bus with Santa and visit 10 families in the West Babylon area, delivering presents, singing carols and spreading cheer throughout the community.

“We get dressed up, we bring all the presents, we sing Christmas carols on the way, and we do different challenges like scavenger hunts,” Lemmo said. “The kids come out, they take pictures with Santa, they get so excited. If we see another child watching from a window or outside, we bring presents for them too. Santa makes their holiday magical.”

These experiences have a lasting impact on students long after the decorations come down.

“They get a taste of how good it feels to give,” Lemmo said. “We get notes afterward from families saying, ‘You made our Christmas.’ That really motivates the kids to keep giving back.”

The Adopt-A-Family initiative and Cheer Bus visits showcase the community spirit that defines the holiday season. The LEO Club has about 150 members — roughly 10 percent of the school, Lemmo said.

“I think that’s a beautiful testimony to West Babylon,” she said.

For Krass, returning to the program that once helped his own family has become a tradition — and a reminder that generosity can echo for years.

“It doesn’t matter the size of the amount or what you do,” he said. “Even the littlest impact can make a huge difference.”