The Season for Giving
by Bradley Vertrees, Correspondent
The season of giving is upon us once again and this year the honors program will be helping those less fortunate in the community.
This is the first year the honors program is sponsoring the Share the Sprit Holiday Gift Drive that runs through Monday.
The gift drive is in cooperation with the People's Resource Center (PRC), a charitable organization that helps individuals and families in need. The PRC has been serving the western suburbs since 1975 and now help about 2,000 families each month.
Everything from clothes, children's toys, to even food / gift certificates will be accepted. Once the items are given to the PRC, a store is set up at the DuPage County Fairgrounds on Manchester Road. A personal shopper who helps select their items assists each qualified family. The families are given points that are based on family size. This gives families the opportunity to select what they want, so they don't feel like they're receiving a handout.
"The Share the Spirit Holiday Gift Drive allows families to give and receive new gifts, unlike some toy drives which accept used items. Also, gift cards and certificates make up a large percentage of donations.
"This enables families to shop for gifts that will best suit their needs," said Katie Kerby, an honors program student.
Every quarter, members of the program decide how they are going to serve the community.
"It's important for honors students to give back to the community," said Alice Snelgrove, honors program coordinator.
All donations can be dropped off in the Honors Program office in the Berg Instructional Center (BIC) 2010.
from the College of DuPage Courier, December 5, 2003