Students donate to Christmas program

Show that you care-participate in the Operation Christmas Child program.

For its sixth year, Georgia College & State University will be joining ranks with various churches and organizations to send off Christmas gifts to children in war stricken areas and third world countries. Shoeboxes of gifts are being collected through November to the Dec. 4 deadline.

Kendall Stiles first started operation Christmas Child, founded by Franklin Graham, at GC&SU.

“We were trying to get students more involved.” Most of the charity work done on campus is done on the local level, she said, and they were trying to “give it a different angle.give it an international twist.”

In the first year of participating in Operation Christmas Child, GC&SU students and staff sent off 20 to 25 shoeboxes.

“I’m hoping we’ll have more than 100 this year,” said Stiles.

In recent years, organizations like Wesley House, the Baptist Student Union (BSU), various sororities and fraternities, the History Club and other student groups have helped with the program.

BSU’s mission team participated in Operation Christmas child for three years, though this year the team is having an inner city mission trip instead. “It’s a great program. It’s an awesome way to minister to people across the seas, people who you’ll never meet,” said Bill Baker, from Wesley House.

Suggested gifts include: small toys, cars, dolls, stuffed animals, school supplies, hygiene items, hard candy, flashlights with batteries and small picture books. Care should be given when picking out items for the Operation Christmas Child program. Since many of the recipients are living in war-stricken areas, it is asked that no war-themed toys such as army men or popguns be included in the shoeboxes. Perishable foods like chocolate, any kind of liquids, medicines of any type, or breakable items aren’t allowed. It is asked that you provide five dollars to cover the shipment of your box, though it isn’t required, “Often times a local business will simply donate money which is often used to pay to ship the boxes,” Stiles said.

Letters, self-addressed stamped envelopes and pictures can also be placed in the boxes for the children. Stiles said that she had never heard of someone receiving a reply from one of the children, but still, you never know.

There will be an Operation Christmas Child work day in the GIVE Center on Wednesday, Nov. 20 from noon to 6 p.m. Boxes and wrapping supplies will be available for those who wish to put together their boxes. “This is a great way for students to give back,” said Stiles.

Stiles will the taking the GC&SU boxes to an Operation Christmas Child collection site in Charlotte, N.C. the Friday following the deadline.

“One year I’d like to take a group of students to one of the collection sites.” At the sites, volunteers check each box to insure that prohibited items won’t be sent to the children overseas.

Operation Christmas Child–”It lets them know that somebody, somewhere cares,” said Baker.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Nov 15 2002. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry