By Rachel Luchmun
The Center for Student Involvement (CSI) and the Student Senate aim to bring holiday cheer to members of the college community who might need it.
Mindy Kinnaman, manager of Student Life and Leadership Development, said the “JCCC Gives” effort is geared towards members of the college community specifically.
“It is for students, faculty and staff in significant need,” Kinnaman said. “For example, if someone does not have enough money for a Christmas dinner. Things like that.”
The college community is invited to nominate individuals who could benefit from donations via “JCCC Gives.” Once the nominations are in, details of each individual (not including any identifying information) will be put on a card in the CSI, located in COM 309. Then people will be able to pick a card and make a donation for that person. The donation may be in the form of money, gift card or presents.
Faculty, staff and students have until Nov. 11 to submit nominations. The cards will be ready in COM 309 on Nov. 14, and all donations are due Dec. 2. They will be distributed the week of Dec. 5 – 9.
“We are being very careful in ensuring privacy,” Kinnaman said. “The only people who will know the names of the nominees are the people nominating them and myself.”
Student Senate President Gina Galanou said the initiative was different than other Student Senate efforts around the holiday period.
“In previous years, we always wanted to have a giving project, where people who are less fortunate or children that are less fortunate can have a happy Christmas,” Galanou said. “This year, we decided it would be better to reach out to the students and faculty at [the college] and provide them with items that might make their holidays better.”
Galanou said the Student Senate would advertise “JCCC Gives” through visuals such as posters, banners and fliers, as well as collaborating with other organizations on campus to help spread the word and nominate deserving members of the community.
“Any professor or coworker or classmate that might know of someone in need will be more than welcomed to nominate themselves or others,” Galanou said.
The idea for “JCCC Gives” comes from student Jacob Seils. He said he had done something similar for one of his classes last fall.
“The professor said one of the students had tough times where he might not be able to pay the rent,” Seils said. “The whole class got him a gift basket the last day of class right before Christmas. Seeing his face light up was amazing.”
Seils said he brought the idea forward to the Student Senate to give something to the college community.
Forms for nomination will be available at the Center for Student Involvement, COM 309. For more information, contact Mindy Kinnaman, 913-469-3534 or mkinnam1@jccc.edu.
Contact Rachel Luchmun, staff reporter, at rluchmun@jccc.edu.