In his Criminal Justice class at Newsome High School, Carlos Somellan has been teaching an emotional lesson of giving.
- Teacher Carlos Somellan asked students to collect toys
- More than 500 toys taken to St. Joseph's Hospital
- Toy drive was dying daughter's last wish, teacher says
This holiday season, the retired lieutenant urged his students to collect toys for young cancer patients. The teens brought in more than 500 toys, then the class traveled to St. Joseph's Hospital for a special delivery.
"It was very heartwarming to know that we were doing something good for the community, especially these kids,” said senior Josh Organ.
By bringing in the toys, the students were doing something special for their teacher also.
"I lost my daughter to cancer," Somellan said.
The toy drive was her dying wish.
"She said, 'Dad, I need you to make sure that kids, very young kids, who are going through this, do something to help them, do something to help them with their pain,'" Somellan said.
So Somellan did what only a dad could do. He organized a toy drive to make sure his daughter's wish would come true.
He knows she would be proud of his efforts.
"This is absolutely something that would be right up her alley," Somellan said. "That was her. She was about giving and loving. That was her. That’s the way she lived her life."