The Holiday Giving Tree has been an annual event coordinated through Heller Service Corps for nearly the past 50 years. In 2016, the Holiday Giving Tree was named in honor of staff member RaeNae Nay, whose spirit and passion for others during her 32 years of service inspired many to support the Heller Service Corps’ annual giving tree. Because of RaeNae’s support over the years, the Holiday Giving Tree is now an endowed event through Heller Service Corps. As Giving Tree Coordinator, Morgan Cooper sits down to talk about the drive and how to get involved.
CM: Who does the Holiday Giving Tree support? MC: The Holiday Giving Tree supports 17 of Heller’s agencies through the Greenville region. These agencies are: A Child’s Haven, Camp Spearhead, the Greenville Free Medical Clinic, Harvest Hope, the Julie Valentine Center, Mental Health America, Meyer Center, Neighborhood Focus, Pendleton Place, PMAC, Safe Harbor, Soteria, Triune Mercy Center, Washington Center and White Horse Road Academy. CM: How does the drive work? MC: Each of our agencies gives us a wish list of the items they need. These items range from dawn soap and canned goods to dog treats and diapers. These and other requested items may be found on gift tags that are hung on trees throughout campus. Trees may be found in the library, Trone, the upstairs of the Dining Hall, the PAC entryway or Plyler Hall. Once you grab a gift tag and purchase the gift indicated on the tag, donations should be brought to the Heller Office with their original gift tag.
CM: How long does the drive run? MC: Heller asks that all donations be dropped in the office by Monday, Dec. 10 before they are collected from their respective agencies Wednesday, Dec. 12.
CM: How can students get involved? MC: If you want to help on a larger scale and you’re part of an organization on campus, we are asking student organizations as well as departments to sponsor an entire agency.
If you would like to get involved and do more planning, reach out to Morgan Cooper at morgan. [email protected].
