Baker University students looking to spread holiday cheer to less fortunate children in the Baldwin City area and around the world have two opportunities over the next few weeks.
The Baker University Student Education Association is sponsoring Operation Christmas Child as part of International Education Week. Junior Amanda Lenkey said the project is headed by Samaritan’s Purse and Franklin Graham, evangelist Billy Graham’s son.
“The idea is they travel to countries all over the world where children are affected by genocide, and they use their mission of spreading God’s word and the shoeboxes to reach into the communities,” Lenkey said.
The shoeboxes are filled with small toys, school supplies, clothing items and personal hygiene products. Each box should also include $7 for shipping.
“Samaritan’s Purse is a non-profit organization,” Lenkey said. “There will be hundreds of thousands of boxes sent from all across the United States, so the shipping would be very expensive.”
Lenkey said the small shoeboxes have a very large effect on children.
“In Poland there is a group of boys that were orphaned and they went into foster care, and foster parents beat and abused them,” Lenkey said. “The boys ran away to live in sewer tunnels, and for some, when they received the shoeboxes, it was the first they had ever had toothbrushes and toothpaste.”
She said a Bible study is usually conducted when the boxes are passed out, and a village in Ukraine formed its first church because people cared enough to send shoeboxes to them.
Lenkey said as an incentive for student participation, tickets will be given to everyone who turns in a shoebox with the $7 for shipping. The tickets will be for drawings of an iPod Shuffle, a flashdrive and Mr. Goodcents gift certificates.
Today at dinner the boxes will be collected at the Student Activities Council desk. Drop-offs can also be made from 8:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. Saturday at Harter Union.
SAC’s Angel Tree program also begins this week. Community Service Coordinator Kelly Vaughan said the Salvation Army provides angels with written descriptions of what children want for Christmas.
“Each one is different depending on the age of the child,” Vaughan said. “Some of them needed coats. Some of them just wanted toys.”
SAC member Ashlee Cornett said the gifts do not have to be expensive.
“People choose not to do it sometimes because it’s expensive, but if groups of people get together, it’s a lot better than nothing,” she said.
Vaughan encourages students to get involved.
“It’s simple,” she said. “You don’t have to dedicate a lot of time.”
Angels can be selected Monday and gifts are due by 3 p.m. Dec. 6.