Eric Welch
Cartoonist/Staff Writer
The holidays are a special occasion known for charities and organizations to give back to their communities, and the Lewis and Clark Community College campus is no exception.
One yearly tradition on the L&C campus is the teachers on the 5th floor of Baldwin Hall adopt an Oasis Family. The Oasis foundation provides help to families of domestic violence.
The teachers receive a wish list from a family and each teacher purchases one item from the list. The gifts are then wrapped and given to the family for them to put under the tree for Christmas morning.
“We are a community college. Most people around here take this seriously, so it is important to be involved in the community,” Terri Hilgendorf, Literature Professor, said.
The adult education department also gets involved with families during the holidays with their toy drive for the kids of Family Literacy. Unfortunately, the drive will not be done this year, due to a lack of participants.
However, in the past they have provided presents for 30 to 50 families a year. It is also worth mentioning that the presents are anonymously given to the parents for them to give to their children.
In order for a family to join Family Literacy, the adult caregiver must need help with basic skill instruction, have a child that is under 16 years of age, agree to monthly home visits, attend parenting classes twice a week, and attend family events at the library.
“We started this program because in Family Literacy you get to know the children and we wanted to bring joy to families in need during Christmas time,” Vicki Hinkle, Director of Adult Education, said.
L&C has also helped students experiencing a financial crisis during the holiday season. For example, this year, a student who has 2 children is receiving donations by an anonymous L&C department in the form of warm clothes and children’s toys. The student is being sponsored because of their dedication to learning and upstanding character.
An event that anyone on campus can get involved with is the 89.9 Hours of Christmas donation drive. Each year, 2 radio students stay on the air for 89.9 hours straight to raise money for the Boys and Girls Club of Alton. A large portion of the money raised will send 50 children on a Christmas shopping spree.
To be eligible to receive the shopping spree, the children must be active in club activities, participate in study dates, and maintain good grades. On top of the shopping sprees, money, as much as $4,500 in the past 17 years, is also donated to the Boys and Girls Club general fund.
For more information contact Mike Lemons at mlemons@lc.edu or donate to the drive between the 17th and 20th of December.
