Angel tree administers giving spirit
Louise Elliott
Issue date: 11/19/09 Section: Culture
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Megan King, a junior from Chickamauga, Ga., and a co-chair of the Angel Tree program, said any student, faculty member or staff member can come to the Student Alumni Council table to participate.
The Angel Tree table is set up in the UC from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m., every day through Nov. 23, King said.
According to King, participants can then select a card, which includes information such as the name of the child, their age and what kind of gifts they would like to receive.
King said the program is an important one for Student Alumni Council.
"We try to do as much community service as possible," she said. "It's a program that we find to be successful because we get a big response from the UTC community."
According to Patrick Miles, advisor for the Student Alumni Council, the program is a partnership between the Student Alumni Council and the Tennessee Department of Children's Services.
Miles said children could be involved with this program for a variety of reasons.
"Kids in the program sometimes have parents in prison or jail," said Miles. "Or, they don't have parents at all and they're in a foster care system."
These are a just a couple of the scenarios for why a child may need community support doing the holidays.
Miles said some age groups of children are sometimes overlooked more than others when it comes to gift giving.
Children in the 11 to 16-year-old age range are harder to find sponsors for, he said.
"All children deserve gifts," Miles said. "People sometimes feel that they want to give gifts to the little kids, but older ones need gifts too."
Miles also added that the gift suggestions on the sponsorship cards are just that - suggestions.
He said people can give anything they want. However, the gift does have to be age appropriate for the child.
Jeremy Bourgoin, a Nashville senior and vice president of the Student Alumni Council, said the Angel Tree program is a great way to get UTC involved with the community.
"It's a chance for campus to give back to the Chattanooga community," Bourgoin said. "It reflects well on us as a university that we can sponsor people who are less fortunate and really be able to take a stand on something that we feel is important."
Chantel Christian, a Clarksville, Tenn., junior and president of the Student Alumni Council, said participating in the Angel Tree program is all about the kids and giving them a better Christmas than what they would otherwise have.
"This program is to help give children the great Christmas that we all remember from when we were kids," Christian said.