The Observer, December 8, 2006
Volume XXXIX, Issue 13
Giving Tree provides community with chance to spread holiday cheer
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For anyone with a little extra holiday spirit (and some cash) to spare, there's an opportunity for good will waiting in Thwing Atrium.
For the third year in a row, Thwing Center and Student Activities and Leadership staff have created the Thwing Center Giving Tree.
Hanging from the tree are holiday wish lists from needy children who visit any of the five locations of the NorthEast Ohio Neighborhood Health Services (NEON).
The children write three items that they would like to receive and the list is put on a tag that is then hung from the tree.
Those who wish to participate in the program can choose the wish list of a child they would like to help and take it down from the tree.
There is a top tag that the givers fill out with their information and put in a manila envelope for collection. The bottom tag is to be taken when shopping for the gift or gifts and then used as a gift tag on the present when it is brought back to Thwing.
Givers can choose to wrap the gifts themselves or they can be left unwrapped and staff from Thwing Center or Student Activities and Leadership will take care of it.
The tree will remain up until Dec. 15. Any gifts that remain unpurchased at that time will be bought by Thwing Staff to be delivered on Dec. 19.
The tree started as a branch of a 10-year-old holiday tradition among the Thwing Center staff.
Instead of exchanging gifts with each other, staff members would take up an annual collection to help a needy family.
Three years ago the staff decided to help NEON and received an overwhelming response from Case that led them to keep up this philanthropic event.
Each year, the Case community steps up to purchase more and more gifts for the children – some children even receive all the wishes from their list.
Gift requests range from Legos to bicycles.
This year, the Peter B. Lewis staff have partnered with Thwing Center and have already taken 25 of the 100 tags.
"While this started as a Thwing Center project it has become a Case community event," said Maura O'Beirne-Stanko, assistant director of Thwing Center.
Because the community has been so helpful, Thwing Center might even be able to use their resources to help another needy family – as in their old tradition – and simply coordinate the efforts of the Giving Tree. So far, 60 percent of the tags have been taken.
The event is extremely popular, and gives people a unique opportunity to help during a time of year that is often very difficult for those in need.
"Everyone loves the idea," said O'Beirne-Stanko. "Other departments want to know how they can participate and how to start something like it for their own department."
