37-Year Annual Iona Prep Tradition Makes Wishes Come True Again

WESTCHESTER COUNTY, NY — A 37-year-long partnership between two Hudson Valley learning institutions has once again illustrated the meaning of the season.

When the school buses loaded with generosity and a contingent of Iona Preparatory Upper School students arrived at Hawthorne Country Day School, the Christmas season was here, not just on the calendar, but in spirit as well.

But, Iona Prep's collaboration with Hawthorne Country Day, which provides academic and vocational skills to children with autism and other intellectual disabilities, started weeks earlier when most of us still had Thanksgiving leftovers in the fridge.

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Before Iona Prep students arrived to celebrate with elementary, middle and high school students at the day school and hand out Christmas presents, the Iona Prep community compiled a wishlist, checked it twice, purchased and wrapped the gifts over the previous weeks.

The decades-long tradition first began with Eileen Bisordi, a parent of a 1991 Iona Prep graduate and the founder of the Hawthorne Country Day School (originally the Margaret Chapman School).

The Iona Prep Mothers’ Auxiliary then joined students over two days in wrapping the more than 350 gifts that were hand-delivered to the eager Hawthorne Country Day students. According to organizers, in return, the Gaels received a number of creative and grateful thank you cards, as well as some firsthand perspective on what the Christmas season should really be about — spreading hope, peace, joy and love.