Elves, Drivers, Bakers Needed

Give holiday cheer! For our annual Christmas charitable outreach, the University Relations Community Service Committee is recruiting “elves” to share holiday cheer with people in need. Thank you in advance for your generous support!

Give a Gift

We invite UR employees to purchase gifts for clients of REAL Services. REAL serves older adults and low income households through a number of services and programs. Starting Thursday, November 15^th, “ornaments”/ gift tags labeled with wish list items will be decorating holiday trees in six areas:

1) 5th Floor Grace – Rachel Hughes, Carol Bradley                                                                    2) 10th Grace – Sharon Rankert                                                                                                    3) 11th Floor Grace – Angel Hess                                                                                                   4) 405 Main Building – Roberta White                                                                                          5) Eck Center – Katie Rutledge                                                                                                      6) Eddy Street Commons Café – Kris Machalleck, Beth Ferlic, Huyen Nguyen

When you choose a tag, please write your name on a signup sheet below the corresponding gift. Each area will have its own signup sheet located near the tree or housed with the primary contact listed above. Please purchase the item listed on the tag, wrap your gift, and secure the tag to the outside of the package. Return your gift “under the tree” where you picked up the tag by 12:00 noon on Monday, December 10^th. Please contact the department representatives with any questions.

Deliver Gifts
REAL Services also needs volunteers to drop off gifts to clients’ homes in the counties they serve: St. Joseph, Elkhart, LaPorte, Kosciusko, and Marshall. Drivers can submit their preference re: delivery area (first come, first choice).

Deliveries can be made between Wednesday, December 12^th and Sunday, December 23^rd, adaptable to your schedule. Consider making this a new holiday tradition with your kids, nieces, nephews or grandchildren! Volunteer drivers must provide their birthdates for a background check to protect clients. Please contact Katie Rutledge by EOD Tuesday, November 20^th if you can help. katie.rutledge@nd.edu or 1-6723

Share Your Holiday Cookies

Share your favorite holiday cookies with people in need. The committee is collecting home-baked cookies to assemble trays of sweet treats to deliver to local agencies serving men, women, and children in need. Donate a dozen or five dozen! All treats welcome. Our goal is 100 dozen cookies to share with four local charities.

Please drop off your cookies to the Eck Center on Wednesday, December 12^th. Volunteers who would like to help assemble trays for the recipient organizations are welcome to join committee members back at the Eck Center later that day, at 5:00 PM. If you can help, please contact Katie Rutledge. Let her know how many cookies you plan to donate. katie.rutledge@nd.edu or 1-6723

Recipient Organizations:

1)      Center for the Homeless                                                                                                         2)      Hope Ministries                                                                                                                       3)      St. Margaret’s House                                                                                                              4)      Youth Service Bureau & Safe Station