Campus organizations wrapped up in holiday giving
More than 30 groups will adopt a household.
Published Dec. 3, 2010
Almost 100 families will be adopted during the holidays due to the efforts of dozens of MU organizations.
The groups are all working through the Voluntary Action Center to be paired up with a family who in turn provides a wish list.
“The university is responsible for many of the families that we sign up through our program,” said Marissa Todd, project director and Christmas Board leader for the VAC. “We get a lot of academic departments that adopt families. There are different student services offices, different student organizations and many of the fraternities and sororities.”
The VAC helps more than 1,100 families every year through this program, Todd said. This year, 1,129 have signed up.
“We have 10 days of sign-ups in which the families can come, and they have to provide certain information to prove that they’re eligible for the program,” Todd said. “If they qualify, then we match them with sponsors after the sign-up period is over.”
The athletics department, in particular, is sponsoring 18 families this year.
“We’ve partnered to adopt several families as an athletic department,” athletics department spokesman Chad Moller said. “Most of our sport programs have also decided on their own to adopt families as well.”
Moller said the athletics department has participated in this program for several years, during which time it has expanded its total donations quite a bit.
“We feel good that it’s a really important effort that we’re all working to try and help out people who are having tough times or just need a little help over the holiday season,” Moller said.
Lindsey Hunter, a graduate assistant in the Total Person Program, said teams such as basketball and gymnastics have been adopting families for years. This idea has taken root and now involves the entire athletics department.
“It’s really nice that most of our athletes are so involved in the community,” Hunter said. “They’re blessed for sure. So they definitely want to give back, and this is one way in which they can do that.”
The Student Athletic Advisory Council, which consists of two students from each sport, decided to participate in this forum of holiday giving.
The actual donations will vary between teams, Hunter said. For example, the football team will provide mostly monetary donations and smaller teams, such as tennis, will purchase items from their families’ wish lists.
“This really makes us take a look and say, ‘Not everybody gets what we get during Christmas time,’” Hunter said. “So, it’s good to see the teams lobbying together to provide a good Christmas for a family.”
Many student groups have also taken the initiative to adopt a family.
After someone in her class suggested the idea, third-year law student Katie Doll decided to spearhead the effort of about 22 law students to adopt a family for the holidays.
“Maybe for everyone, but especially in law school, exams sort of swallow up the whole Christmas season,” Doll said. “It was just fun and nice to think about something other than school.”
Doll said one highlight of the experience was when she and her group went shopping at midnight Black Friday and ended up doubling the amount of gifts they were able to purchase with the money they had collected.
“We had a party and wrapped all the presents last night,” Doll said. “So, it’s just a nice way to actually remember this Christmas.”
Doll will graduate in May, but she said she believes this is the start of a new tradition for the class, Life Skills for Lawyers, which will likely continue to adopt families in the future.
“Because our sponsors are so generous, our families are able to have gifts for their children to open on Christmas day,” Todd said. “Sponsors are also asked to provide food for the family meal. So, they’re able to have a nice Christmas dinner and their children have a nice holiday.”