Two packages of shiny toy cars and one fluffy stuffed animal are among the few gifts sitting in a box in the Center for Student Involvement office, waiting to be wrapped and opened during the holiday season.
Wildcat Toy Box, sponsored by the center, collects toys, books and gift certificates for the nonprofit organization Childserv. The holiday gift drive started Nov. 17 and will run until Wednesday. As of Friday afternoon, six gifts had been collected, said Suzan Akin, the Center for Student Involvement’s coordinator of student community service.
This is the second year for the drive. Last year, about 75 presents were collected for Childserv, Akin said.
Childserv is a Chicago-based organization that serves foster children and low-income communities in Cook, Lake and DuPage counties. Children and young adults up to the age 21 are covered through the group.
Jennifer Collins, Childserv’s volunteer services coordinator, said NU is one of 33 organizations contributing this year to Childserv’s larger toy drive, which provides gifts for all of the 1,200 children in the organization’s system.
She added that another 20 to 25 children will join Childserv before the new year.
People tend to purchase presents for children under five years old, but gifts also are needed for adolescents, Akin said.
“Right now we are asking people to donate gifts for kids up to age 15,” she said.
Akin encouraged gift certificates from places where children can pick out something they would like. Stores such as Target also are good places to buy toys, she said.
Although students have limited mobility, there are stores nearby to buy presents for the drive, said Lynn Wyckoff, a Weinberg sophomore and NU’s program coordinator of student community service.
“It’s kind of hard if you don’t have a car,” Wyckoff said, “but I know Borders and Barnes and Nobles have small gifts.”
Cynthia Moreno, who also is a program coordinator of student community service, said students may be limited in the amount of money they can spend but still can split the cost.
“If you don’t want to spend a lot of money, you can get a lot of friends together to chip in $2 and get one gift,” said Moreno, a Communication sophomore.
In order to ensure every child has a present, Collins said Childserv tries to collect more gifts than it needs.
“If there are extra gifts, then they go to the new children,” Collins said.
The Center for Student Involvement will deliver the gifts to Childserv after Thanksgiving break, and Childserv will wrap and distribute the presents to its 18 office locations on Dec. 17.
Wyckoff said the Center for Student Involvement has been working to advertise the drive by e-mailing campus listservs, handing out fliers at The Rock on Friday and visiting campus dining halls both last week and this week.
“We’re hoping that people will realize it’s going on,” Wyckoff said.
Students can drop off presents until Wednesday at the Center for Student Involvement office on the third floor of Norris University Center, or they can go to several dining halls.
“We’re also going to be picking up the presents so students don’t even have to leave their dorm,” Akin said.
Center for Student Involvement representatives will be at the Sargent Hall dining room tonight and Foster-Walker Complex and Allison Hall on Tuesday during dinnertime.
