WSU Offers Holiday Support to Community Members in Need

November 26, 2018

OGDEN, Utah – With the holiday season in full swing, several Weber State University organizations are hosting service projects to provide the campus community with an opportunity to benefit those in need.

Shoeboxes for Veterans

Shoeboxes for Veterans is an annual service project hosted by Veterans Upward Bound to provide a shoebox-sized package to veterans living in homeless shelters or assisted-living facilities.

“Veterans Upward Bound works academically with veterans who are typically younger,” said Wayne Miller, Veterans Upward Bound director. “But there are many older vets who are living in homes, and many of them do not have families who visit. This is our opportunity to let them know they are not forgotten.”

Shoeboxes may be filled with candy, snacks, clothing, books and toiletries. Food items must be nonperishable. Male clothing is preferred. Veterans Upward Bound discourages monetary gifts and asks that no alcohol be donated.

Participants may use their own box or pick up one from the Veterans Upward Bound office in Annex 12 on the north side of the Ogden campus. The shoeboxes must be delivered to Veterans Upward Bound by Dec. 13.

Angel Trees

Weber State’s Center for Community Engaged Learning (CCEL) has partnered with the Salvation Army to set up two Angel Trees. One tree is located in the Shepherd Union Atrium and the other at Weber State University Davis Building D3.

The Salvation Army Angel Tree program provides gifts to families who are in crisis as a result of medical issues, unemployment, homelessness or other circumstances, making it difficult to have the resources to celebrate Christmas.

“We look forward to this event every year,” said Teresa Martinez, CCEL program director. “This is an opportunity for those willing to provide holiday gifts to families in need.”

The tree in the Shepherd Union has 150 angels; the tree at WSU Davis has 50. Those who pick an angel from the trees are asked to return the new, unwrapped gifts to the same campus from which the angel was drawn by Dec. 14.

Visit weber.edu/ccel/angel-tree for more information.

Community Christmas

Community Christmas is a sub-for-Santa program sponsored by the Ogden-Weber Community Action Partnership (OWCAP) and CCEL. The goal is to provide Christmas assistance for over 3,000 families in Weber and Davis counties. Community Christmas hopes to provide each child with at least one toy, one set of clothes and a fun experience at the Christmas Carnival. While children are entertained, parents are allowed to “shop” for free children’s gifts in a separate area. Parents will also be provided with a bag of groceries for their holiday dinner.

Adults will also have the opportunity to walk through a resource fair. There they can connect with various local community resources, including Catholic Community Services and Weber State's new Community Education Center.  

“Community Christmas allows us to provide Christmas to less-fortunate families in our counties,” said Tania Romo, OWCAP student chair. “We provide parents with the resources and connections needed to be able to provide for their families in the future, not only on Christmas, but all year long.”

The Christmas Carnival will be Dec. 15 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at Ben Lomond High School (1080 9th St., Ogden). For safety, the carnival is open only to invited families. Volunteers are needed for event setup on Dec. 14 and to run the event on Dec. 15. Volunteers are also needed to help pick up and transport donations prior to the carnival.

Volunteers can view the duties, times and dates and sign-up at signup.com/go/iTTOhSk. For more information, visit communitychristmasut.org or contact Tania Romo of the Ogden-Weber Community Action Partnership.

For photos, visit this link.

https://wsuucomm.smugmug.com/Angel-Tree

Visit weber.edu/wsutoday for more news about Weber State University

Author:

Ross Rosier, Office of Marketing & Communications
801-626-7948 • rossrosier@weber.edu

Contact:

Wayne Miller, Veterans Upward Bound director
801-626-7047 • waynemiller@weber.edu

Teresa Martinez, CCEL program coordinator
801-626-7737 • teresamartinez1@weber.edu

Tania Romo, OWCAP student chair
801-458-0230 • taniaromo@mail.weber.edu