Holiday Helper Tree lights up this week
The 22nd annual Holiday Helper Tree will light up the Russell Union on Wednesday, Nov. 4 at 10 a.m.
The Tree is sponsored by the Office of Leadership and Community Engagement. During the kick-off event, founder of the Holiday Helper initiative and senior administrative assistant for the department of sociology and anthropology, Eileen Smith, will speak on the history and importance of the Tree. James Thomas, community engagement graduate assistant, will also share his experience and involvement with the initiative. Singers from the local Head Start program’s youth choir will perform their favorite Christmas carols before officially lighting the Tree.
The Tree is adorned with over 750 tags, each with the name, age, gender and gift idea of a local individual or family in need. Tags may represent everyone from young children to the elderly living in local nursing homes. Anyone in the holiday spirit is encouraged to pick a tag to help make the holidays a little brighter for others. Campus organizations may also choose to participate as a group.
“This event is important because it highlights the spirit of the holiday season, the spirit of the Statesboro community and the spirit of our University,” said James Thomas, community engagement graduate assistant. “I feel that the Holiday Helper Tree event highlights the compassionate character of Georgia Southern, while also bringing the University and Statesboro community closer together.”
Those who wish to participate in other ways may volunteer to work at the tree during the day or can donate monetarily directly to one of the participating community agencies. To volunteer or donate stop by OLCE in Russell Union room 1056. The last day to pull tags from the tree is Friday, Nov. 20, and all gifts are due by Dec. 1.
Georgia Southern University, a public Carnegie Doctoral/Research University founded in 1906, offers more than 125-degree programs serving more than 20,500 students. Through eight colleges, the University offers bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs built on more than a century of academic achievement. Georgia Southern is recognized for its student-centered and hands-on approach to education.
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