Hough third-graders deliver valentines to firefighters

Hough — Valentine’s Day came a bit early to the Vancouver Fire Department: Forty-four Hough Elementary School third-graders visited the department Friday and delivered packages to each firefighter and staff member. The day was organized by the Joy Team, a Vancouver-based nonprofit group that works to spread positivity. Each package contained handmade cards, candy and heart-shaped balloons. The students also received a tour of Station 5 from Deputy Chief Dan Olson, and practiced “stop, drop and roll” drills with some of the first responders. This is the third year the Joy Team and Hough have teamed to deliver what Joy Team founder Michele McKeag Larsen calls Happy Packets. In the past, only a group of about 10 to 12 students would go, she said. This was the first year an entire grade delivered the gifts. “It’s such a neat experience for the kids to see the people they made cards for,” she said. “To hand a present to somebody, that’s a pretty cool thing, and not something kids get to do all the time. It makes them feel good.”