Student Volunteers to Host Holiday Party for Local Groups

The Student Volunteer Center at Illinois State University will host Holiday Helper parties Saturday, Dec. 8, for three Bloomington organizations - Boys & Girls Club from 10 a.m. to noon, Western Avenue Community Center from noon to 2 p.m. and Catholic Charities from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.

The volunteer center, which is a part of the Dean of Students’ Leadership and Service unit, organize monthly events to encourage Illinois State students to be civically engaged and give back to the local community.

There will be 45 children at the Boys & Girls Club party, 47 at Western Avenue Community Center and 91 at Catholic Charities.  The parties are planned and coordinated by student volunteers and each of the parties is staffed entirely by ISU students volunteering their time.  Students have planned a variety of activities for each party which include distribution of gifts.

These parties are the culmination of several activities in the Holiday Helper program.  Beginning Nov. 1, the 183 children were up for “adoption.”  All of the children were “adopted,” and 90 percent of the adoptions were by ISU students.  Adopters are instructed to spend $40 and receive information about their child including three needs they have and three wants they have.  During the first week of December, 67 students volunteered to wrap all of these gifts.

The Student Volunteer Center  has been putting on Holiday Helper for 10 years.  Donations were received from Krispy Kreme, Denny's Donuts, Pizza Hut, Monicals Pizza, Kroger and WalMart.