������ɫ

The temperature is dropping, and you’re walking through the Union to get a coffee when you pass a brightly shining Christmas tree covered with tags. You walk by a few days later, and the tree looks a little more bare. The next time you find yourself in the area, all of the tags are gone! All along, you’ve been watching the campus community begin quietly participating in the .

If you haven’t heard about this program yet via popular , the Angel Tree Program, led by , is an initiative created to help provide Christmas gifts for children in our community. The Salvation Army starts signups in October, which includes collecting documentation from families to verify qualifying information for the program and the children’s wishlists. Each child is then assigned a code number that goes on a handwritten card that adds a personal flair to each angel. The cards are then distributed to various locations in the community.

������ɫ began participating in the Angel Tree Program in 2023. Thanks to the partnerships between the Center for Civic Engagement (CCE) and the Salvation Army, the University has been able to grow the program from 50 tags distributed in 2023 to 200 tags collected this year! Many individuals, groups and departments participate, including the Sodexo employees who come together to donate all of the items listed on a handful of tags as a team.

“Collaborating with the Union staff has been invaluable, and we are grateful for their willingness to make this opportunity accessible to the campus community. Seeing the many ways people choose to participate as individual donors, with roommates and friends, through student organizations and across offices and departments is a beautiful expression of holiday generosity and cheer,” says Kyra Hickey, Community Engagement Coordinator in the Center for Civic Engagement.

The CCE served as a donation location for the program on campus and completed the delivery of gifts in mid-December. The Salvation Army will officially be distributing these gifts to families on December 22. “On distribution day, there are hugs and lots of tears—from me and from our participants. The gratitude is overwhelming. We just facilitate the process; it’s really our generous donors who make Christmas bright for families in our community,” Says Captain Chastity Hansen, officer at the Salvation Army of ������ɫ.

The Salvation Army’s holiday assistance programs provide food, gifts and other essential items to those in need during the holiday season. The holidays are a great time of the year to give back, but there are community needs all year round! They are currently focusing many of their efforts on food assistance and distributing hygiene items. You can find ways to volunteer on their Community Opportunities page!