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Students lend helping hands for the holidays

It’s the season of giving, and to assist those in need, the Lewis J. Burger Center for Student Leadership & Public Service and the Student Activities department are partnering with local school Trewyn K-8 to help provide students with new uniforms, hats and mittens.

Jessica Chandler, director of the Lewis J. Burger Center, and Tom Coy, director of Student Activities, sponsor the Adopt-A-Child program. According to Coy, more than 80 uniforms have been provided in the last two years. Chandler said that they have been able to branch out the program to more people around the university.

“The first year we really just reached to our little circle of friends within the university,” Chandler said. “We didn’t make it as big as we probably needed to do it. We kept the number of kids’ uniforms that we would purchase small. Last year was the year that we kind of sent it large and sent it to all of campus, and this year we are building on that and trying to do more for the Trewyn kids than previous years.”

According to Chandler, the initial goal for this year was to give uniforms to 50 kids. That goal has been surpassed, so they added another 15 to their goal, and said they hope to get that whole list done before the end date of the program. The kids who receive clothes are in a variety of grade levels.

Additionally, students, faculty and greek life members are participating in donating to Trewyn. Chandler said Alpha Chi Omega is adopting four student, Gamma Phi Beta has eight students participating, Panhellenic Council has four students, Sigma Kappa has four students and two EHS courses each have one student each.

Dani Teel, member of Sigma Kappa, talked about how rewarding donating to Trewyn is.

“We feel that students will have one less thing to worry about if we can pay for the uniforms,” Teel said. “After we do this for them, they will have more confidence and be able to better focus on their school work.”

Chandler said they reached out to the school in order to decide which student are most in need. They will then deliver the uniforms to the school office, which gives them to parents when they come pick up their children from school.

“Everything does get put in a gift bag and wrapped, so it’s not like we’re just handing it to the child,” Chandler said. “We want to give it to the parent so it’s almost like its coming from the parent, but its coming from us. It’s just an addition to the gifts that the child receives at Christmas time.”

Students can donate by dropping off gloves, mittens and hats to Sisson 141. One uniform, which includes pants and a shirt, costs between $25 to $30. Gloves and hats vary in cost. All items will be collected by 5 p.m. Dec. 15.

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