Annual effort helps children of
low-income students, domestic violence victims
MURFREESBORO — MTSU’s Little Raiders gift-giving campaign
wrapped up a successful 2014 effort with a lively party Friday (Dec. 12) at the
University Police Department for some of the Blue Raider community’s needy
youngsters.
The annual effort targets the children of
low-income MTSU students as well as the children of parents receiving
assistance from the local Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Program. This
year’s effort gave 27 Little Raiders a brighter Christmas.
“It was a great event,” said University Police Sgt.
Vergena Forbes, a community policing officer and organizer of the campaign. “A
big thank you to all of the volunteers who helped with the party, and the
individual and corporate donors for making the entire campaign a success.”
The University Police Department, June Anderson
Center for Women and Nontraditional Students and Campus Recreation Center
partnered with the Golden Key Honor Society, MTSU OWLS (Older Wiser Learners)
and MT Lambda to sponsor the campaign.
Members of the campus community were asked to put
on their Secret Santa hats and “adopt” a Little Raider by picking a numbered
ornament hanging on three Christmas trees set up across campus in recent weeks.
The ornaments listed a needy child’s age, gender, clothing size and wish list.
And for the straight year, the effort received a
significant boost from the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 54, which
donated $1,050 that was used to purchase gifts for six children whose ornaments
weren’t selected and also provide additional food for Friday’s Christmas party.
All of the children, along with their parents and
guardians, were invited to Friday’s party at the police headquarters on East
Main Street, where they enjoyed food, fellowship and a special visit from Santa
himself (Rich Kershaw, director of MTSU Student Programming) as well as a few
special volunteer elves, including Forbes.
“He was a great Santa!” Forbes said of Kershaw. “He
had the snow-white beard and everything.”
Forbes praised Dollar General for allowing
placement of collection boxes at two local stores that enabled the campaign to
give the Little Raiders stuffed Christmas stockings this year. Other key donors
included Kroger on Middle Tennessee Boulevard, Domino’s, Little Caesar’s on
South Rutherford Boulevard, Slick Pig, the June Anderson Center, Phillips
Bookstore, MTSU Construction and Renovation, Campus Recreation and Golden Key
Honor Society.
Golden Key members Brittany Benefield, Laura
Kissel, Tiffany Graziano, Yvonne Ejorh, Brittany Smith and Kiara Rainer
volunteered to decorate and assist with the party, some dressed as Santa's
elves.
For more information about the Little Raiders campaign,
contact Forbes or Sgt. David Smith at 615 898-2424.
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