Celebrating 20 Years of Operation Joy

For 20 years, St. Mary’s Episcopal School has marked the Christmas season with one of our most beloved traditions: Operation Joy. What started as a simple outreach effort in the Middle School has grown into something that is part of who we are. It’s a project that brings our community together and strengthens our Episcopal identity and spirit of service. In our two decades of partnership, the St. Mary’s community has delivered Christmas joy to over 2,500 local children.

Each December, St. Mary’s families and faculty shop for and wrap Christmas gifts to give to children served by the Emmanuel Center. Middle School takes the lead in this school-wide effort, organizing the gifts and preparing deliveries with the energy and enthusiasm that make the end result of this tradition so special. The MS faculty delivers the gifts to the Emmanuel Center.

Our students look forward to this partnership year after year. 

“The girls love the project. We have years where we run out of kiddos to shop for,” Jeanne Ross, Assistant to the Head of Middle School and longtime Operation Joy coordinator, shared. “It’s a feel-good tradition, but it’s also a place where students experience what generosity, community, and belonging look like in action.”

Middle School Counselor Andrea Peredo concurs.

“At St. Mary's, we are intentional about not just talking about our character education, the Bridge to Caring, but finding ways to live it. Operation Joy is one way we can embody our school's core values by serving others, learning about the needs of our community, and helping spread holiday cheer. The girls love giving back to the city we love so much!" 

In true St. Mary’s fashion, the project has grown and has even gathered a few funny stories along the way. “In recent years, we’ve started using the school shuttle, humorously called the sleigh, to transport the gifts,” Ross shared. “Loading is a process, but we have lots of elves who love to help. It used to be a solo project, one volunteer would just rent a truck and unload,” she said. “Now it’s a group event.” 

In recent years, the drop-off has become a moment of connection for the whole Middle School team. “For the last several years, the Middle School faculty and staff has gone together to unload,” Ross said. “The Emmanuel volunteers are lovely, and one of them normally prays with us before we leave.”

This partnership with the Emmanuel Center, which provides after-school tutoring, mentoring, coaching, and wraparound support for families in South Memphis, aligns with St. Mary’s Episcopal tradition of faith in action and the school’s commitment to serving and investing the city of Memphis.

“This project is just one way we teach our girls that service isn’t just something we do; it’s part of who we are. It’s how we show that every child, every family, and every community matters,” said Ross. “It’s how we create belonging, both here at St. Mary’s and in the city we call home.”

As St. Mary’s celebrates 20 years of its partnership with the Emmanuel Center, we are so grateful for the countless students, families, teachers, and volunteers who have made this work possible, reminding us year after year what it means to serve with love, faith, and a whole lot of Christmas spirit!