MONMOUTH, Ill. – For the second consecutive year, student-athletes at Monmouth College are getting into the Christmas spirit and helping others.
The college’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) is sponsoring an Angel Tree in conjunction with the Warren Achievement Center. The tree, located in the athletic office of the college’s Huff Athletic Center, has approximately 50 names of special needs young adults in the immediate Monmouth area.
Anyone interested in purchasing gifts for Warren Achievement’s community and residential consumers should select an angel as soon as possible. Each angel has a wish list for that particular consumer, ranging from clothing and jewelry to food items. Gifts should be wrapped and the angel attached to the gift and placed under the tree by Dec. 10. SAAC volunteers will deliver the gifts the following week. There is no dollar limit on the value of the gifts.
“We had all the angels filled within a just a few days last year,” said SAAC adviser Melissa Bittner. “The response from the campus community was overwhelming. Through my Adapted Physical Education classes, many members of the campus got to know some of the angels who were local high school students. We have even more angels to buy for this year, so we’re hoping for another great response from the campus community.”
Bittner explained many of the special needs residents no longer live with their parents, and this is a way the student-athletes at Monmouth College can have a positive impact in the lives of others as well as perform a community service.
“We try to teach our student-athletes the value of giving back,” said Bittner. “This is a great way we can put what we teach into a practical application. Our student-athletes who deliver the presents get as much, if not more, from the experience as do those receiving the gifts.”