Holy Cross Community Participates in Numerous Holiday Charities

WORCESTER, Mass. – With the holidays approaching, members of the entire Holy Cross community have given of themselves to those in our community who are in need. Some of the various holiday community service projects at Holy Cross are as follows:

Candy Cane Giving Tree Sponsored by the Human Resources department, participants selected candy canes from a Christmas tree and bought a gift for a patient at St. Mary's Health Care Center Alzheimer's Unit or for a needy child in the Sacred Heart Parish, Canterbury Street School and the Head Start Program.

Winter Clothes Drive Held annually at Holy Cross, students, faculty, administrators and staff were invited to donate new or used winter clothing for adults and children in the Worcester community. Sponsored by Building Services, the winter coats and clothing collected were donated to the Henry Lee Willis Community Center and the PIP Shelter, both of Worcester.

Chaplains' Gift Collection The Chaplains' Office, in conjunction with Alpha Sigma Nu, had a collection of holiday toys and gifts for children at all masses during the weekend of December 7 - 8. Students brought their gifts to the altar during the preparation of the gifts. Members of Alpha Sigma Nu delivered the toys to St. John's Church on Temple Street and St. Paul's Cathedral on Chatham Street, both in downtown Worcester. This collection of toys for needy children at the masses had been taking place at Holy Cross for many years.

The Giving Tree Members of the Holy Cross community were invited to pick an ornament off a tree in the Hogan Campus Center and buy a gift for a person in need. Approximately 100 items, including toys, mittens and clothing, were donated to the Kid's Café volunteer site through Student Programs for Urban Development (SPUD). This drive is sponsored annually by the Purple Key Society.

Toys for Tots Collection Donated at the College's 12th annual faculty and staff Christmas luncheon on Dec. 12, the Public Safety department collected approximately 150-175 gifts. They were taken to the state police barracks in Charlton, and were portioned out to social service agencies in the Worcester area.

Residence Hall Ornament Decoration and Christmas Card Making As part of the Residence Life 12 Days of Christmas, Hanselman Hall sponsored "Make Your Own Ornament." The ornaments were brought to the Providence Place Mall and put on the Christmas tree there. For each ornament on the tree, Hasboro Toy Company donated a toy for a needy child. In addition, Lehy Hall sponsored "Christmas Card Making for Senior Citizens." The cards were delivered to St. Mary's Church in Worcester.

Big Brothers Big Sisters Holiday Party On Saturday, Dec. 7 at Notre Dame Church in Worcester, Mass., Holy Cross volunteers participated in the annual Big Brothers Big Sisters of Worcester County, Inc. Holiday Party. There were 88 Holy Cross student volunteers in attendance. They provided transportation for the children from their elementary schools to the church and later presented each of their "littles" with a special T-shirt. Holy Cross "bigs" have been meeting with their "littles" each week at Canterbury Street Elementary School in Worcester since the beginning of the semester. They spend the afternoon helping with homework, playing sports, doing crafts and forming friendships.