SU Has Holiday Spirit of 'Helping'

SALISBURY, MD---Salisbury University students, faculty, staff and alumni are celebrating the holidays with volunteer projects that benefit the whole community. Ongoing efforts include:

HOLIDAY ANGELS: Shore CAN Volunteer Center and Guerrieri University Center host an angel tree to provide holiday gifts and clothing to underprivileged children. They hope to reach 200 children from agencies including Maple Shade Home, Joseph House Village, Life Crisis Center and Department of Social Services (Wicomico & Somerset). Faculty, staff and students can make donations through Friday, December 15, based on information about the children (age, gender, size, etc.) available in Guerrieri’s Main Lounge.

COLLECTION FOR ANIMALS: Blackwell Library reminds the campus community that people are not the only beings who are homeless and hungry during its annual collection for homeless animals in area shelters in Wicomico and Somerset counties. The drive runs through Friday, December 15. A list of needed items, such as dog and cat food, and collection boxes are located by the library’s circulation desk. 

FOOD DRIVES: The Athletic Trainer Student Club hosts its annual canned food drive for the Joseph House Village through Monday, December 11. Last year, more than 2,000 cans of food were collected, so the new goal is 2,500. Football, field hockey and women’s basketball are big supporters of this yearly event.

HOLLY-DAY CONCERT: Featuring SU’s Salisbury A Coppella and the Eastern Shore's renowned Peninsulaire's Quartet, the concert is 7-9 p.m. December 7, at the Holly Center's Gymnasium located at 926 Snow Hill Road with fanciful desserts served during intermission. Tickets are $7. Proceeds benefit the Holly Community, Inc. and Holly Center. For information, call 443-260-0822.

TOYS FOR TOTS:  SU students Tommy Cooksey and Lauren Carnes hope to make Christmas morning brighter for less fortunate children in the area by collecting toys and monetary donations from the SU community for Toys for Tots, a program they got involved with through Clear Channel Radio internships. Contributions may be brought to the Perdue School Dean’s office in Holloway Hall, the Student Activities Center in Guerrieri University Center or the Scarborough Leadership Center through Friday, December 15.

THEATRE FOR TOTS: A monetary donation or toy is requested for admission to SU’s Sophanes Theatre Club’s annual Christmas show, Rought Night at the North Pole, Thursday-Sunday, Nov. 30-Dec.3.  Proceeds benefit Toys for Tots. 

OPERATION TEDDY BEAR:  SU’s football team and other student organizations participate in the Holly Center’s Operation Teddy Bear on Saturday, December 2. The event takes individuals with disabilities on an 11-mile joy ride on one of about 30 big rigs, donated for the day by Perdue Farms, Inc.  SU’s football players help lift non-ambulatory individuals while nursing students and others help transport Holly Center residents to staging areas. The event has been taking place for more than 2 decades.

ANGEL TREES: The Social Work Club is sponsoring angel trees in the Student Activities Center and Caruthers Hall for youth involved with Children’s Choice, a specialized foster care agency in Salisbury.  Anyone may participate by selecting a child to purchase a gift for and then returning unwrapped gifts to the Student Activities or Social Work offices. 

Other projects involving members of the SU community this season include: 

BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB:  Every semester, the SU Dance Company raises funds to donate to a worthy cause, earning recognition as an Outstanding Student Organization. This semester the beneficiary was the Boys and Girls Club of America, whose mission is to enable young people to reach their full potential. 

CAMPUS MINISTRIES: For several years, Catholic Campus Ministry has decorated a tree in the Commons with the names of those served by Coastal Hospice on angel ornaments. The ornaments remind the community of the good work of Hospice caring for those with terminal illnesses and honor those who died – and became angels. SU’s Catholic Campus Ministry also gave Thanksgiving food to Joseph House, sent Christmas gifts to troops overseas and annually run an end-of-semester collection of detergents, soaps, shampoos or other hygiene products for the transient residents of Joseph House. 

CARE PACKAGES: SU Alumni gathered to volunteer at the Operation USO Care Package warehouse in Ft. Belvoir, VA, to stuff packages for those serving abroad. 

FOOD BAGS: The Muslim Student Association recently ran a food bag collection for Salisbury's transient population, asking the campus community to donate meal items in paper bags to be distributed via local shelters. About 60 bags were donated to Salisbury Urban Ministries.

SHOEBOX STUFFING: Lambda Pi Eta, the communication honor society, stuffed shoeboxes with toys, toothbrushes, clothes and more for needy children as part of Operation Christmas Child, a Samaritan’s Purse program that last year distributed the shoeboxes to 95 countries. Each box is designed based on gender and age and includes a note and photograph from the sender.

SURVIVAL KITS: Urban Ministries collected donations from SU students, faculty and staff for survival kits for the homeless. Requested items included granola bars, fruit cups, canned ravioli or soup, boxes of trash bags and gloves. Kits were donated a local soup kitchen. Urban Ministries also worked with SU football players, social work students and others on campus to give about 500 Thanksgiving Baskets to local less fortunate families. 

TOURNAMENT OF TREES: The Guerrieri University Center hosts its third annual tree-trimming event, encouraging student organizations to decorate trees to be judged according to the theme, “An Old Fashioned Holiday.” About 15 trees adorn the interior of the Guerrieri Center, awaiting delivery to Joseph House Village and local nursing homes.

TOYS AND MORE: Members of Pi Gamma Mu, the social science honor society, recently helped make the holidays brighter for less fortunate children during the Salisbury Jaycees’ annual Children’s Christmas Shopping Tour. Volunteers led children through Wal-Mart to purchase gifts for friends and family using money raised by the Jaycees.

TURKEY DINNERS: ShoreCAN Volunteer Center at SU helped local families at Thanksgiving by encouraging SU faculty, staff and students to donate non-perishable items and preparing holiday baskets filled with ingredients for a traditional turkey dinner.

This list will expand as SU's holiday spirit grows.  To request the addition of a seasonal philanthropic activity hosted by a campus organization, call the SU Public Relations Office at 410-543-6030.