West Finley woman’s 80th birthday becomes charity endeavor
Priscella Layne didn’t want any gifts for her 80th birthday, figuring she has everything she needs.
Instead, the West Finley woman’s celebration of eight decades of life became a charity endeavor.
Layne turned 80 Tuesday, but a party in her honor was held Dec. 13 at the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum and was attended by more than 100 guests.
“We asked people to not bring gifts for Mom,” explained Denise Leigh, one of Layne’s three daughters. “She’s 80, and she needs nothing.”
With that in mind, 80 stockings were stuffed with needed items that were donated for distribution to students in the McGuffey School District. The party invitation included a list of suggested items to bring instead of gifts.
Leigh said every stocking contains hygiene items such as a hairbrush, shower gel, wash cloth, toothbrush and toothpaste, as well as small toys and card games (more than 70 card games were donated). There also were cash donations.
“After we packed all of the stockings, we decided there needed to be more hygiene-oriented things,” Layne said. “We had the fun things, with the toys and games that were stuffed in these stockings. (The hygiene items) were what the money was used for. Everybody was so generous. We’re still getting donations.”
Both Layne and Leigh, both McGuffey alumni, worked for many years in the school district – Layne as a paraprofessional with special needs students and Leigh as a teacher and the head of McGuffey Teen Action, a philanthropic endeavor, which will distribute the stockings.
“We have a lot of under-resourced students in the district,” Leigh explained.
Stockings were a special part of her childhood.
“When I was a child, it was always a big deal to find little treasures in your stocking,” Layne said. “Our stockings hung at the bottom of our beds. I remember getting up early in the morning being so surprised as to what was in those stockings.”
Layne, who is handy with crafts, has quilted stockings for her eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Layne said another great-grandchild is on the way.
Leigh, a South Fayette resident, said her mom is not the typical octogenarian.
“On her 80th birthday, she made a snow angel,” Leigh said. “She played in the snow and made a Priscella snow angel.”