This fall, the Westminster College community participated in two service projects designed to make the holiday season a little brighter for underprivileged children.
 
Students, faculty and staff members, as well as some alumni, donated Christmas gifts to be distributed to local children through the campus Angel Tree project. The campus community also gathered together to package shoeboxes filled with supplies to be distributed to children around the globe as part of the Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child initiative.

Through the Angel Tree project, a longstanding campus tradition coordinated by the Office of Faith and Spirituality, Westminster students and employees serve as “angels,” providing new toys and clothing to children in Lawrence and Mercer counties in connection with Cray Mentoring, The Walker House and the PA Homeless Children’s Initiative.  

A Christmas tree in McKelvey Campsu Center was decorated with tags inscribed with children’s names, ages, clothing sizes and toy items from their Christmas lists. Participating students and employees selected a tag and purchased gifts to ensure that each child will have a present to open on Christmas morning. Roughly 120 area children will benefit from the generosity of faculty, staff, alumni and students this Christmas.

“Three words come to mind when I think of the success of the annual Angel Tree project that the Office of Faith and Spirituality sponsors: Westminster Gives Back,” said the Rev. James Mohr II, College chaplain and director of church relations. “The Angel Tree provides all of Westminster—students, staff, faculty and alumni—the opportunity to reach out to the community and share Titan love with everyone. This year all of the tags were taken off the tree before Thanksgiving break. My office was full of wrapped gifts this December.”  

Westminster students—including sisters of the Zeta Tau Alpha sorority—and employees also came together to support Operation Christmas Child this season by packing shoeboxes to be distributed to children the world over. Monetary donations were used to purchase age-appropriate items such as toys, school supplies and hygiene products, which were used to fill 60 shoeboxes.

After the shoeboxes were packed, they were delivered to the Calvary Independent Church in New Castle, Pa., to be collected and shipped for processing.
 
The project was led by seniors Talia Morgenstern, a biology major, and Asia Morgenstern, a computer science and mathematics major, both from New Wilmington, Pa. The sisters, who grew up participating in the program with their family each year, organized the first campus Operation Christmas Child packing party two years ago through Westminster’s Office of Faith and Spirituality.
 
“It was an important display of what the power of coming together can give to our community. Global issues can often seem overwhelming and finding meaningful ways to help can be a challenge. Sometimes making a difference is as simple as packing a shoebox,” said Talia Morgenstern.

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