Christmas On Campus- A Mercyhurst Tradition

Today was an exciting day at Mercyhurst! We held our annual tradition called "Christmas on Campus" which is put on by the Center for Student Engagement and Leadership Development for underprivileged children from the Erie area. I was the student co-chair this year which meant that I helped to make the whole day possible which was such a great feeling! We had 10 agencies from the Erie area come in with children to spend the day with our volunteers in the Student Union. We actually had about 300 Mercyhurst student volunteers...I think this really says something about this community! Our students are so willing to help and to lend a hand whenever needed. Today the kids that were running around were really excited, but us big kids (aka college students) were just as excited!!!!

The kids were all paired up with a "buddy" which was one of our volunteers when the arrived. Then, they were able to run wild (and you better believe that they did!) all around the Student Union to make crafts, play games, decorate cookies, make gifts for the parents and most importantly see Santa and Mrs. Claus. After all of the running around slowed down, all of the kids and their buddies sat down together in the Great Room to eat their cookies that they decorated and drink milk while listening to Mr. McAndrew, a retired professor, read them the story of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. After the story was over, Santa called out each child's name and they were able to go up to him and receive a gift! They were SO excited! Some of the kids love coming to Mercyhurst on this day so much that they've been coming for many years!

Seeing the kids made me so happy! Their Christmas spirit was radiating throughout the Student Union and they reminded all of us big kids how exciting Christmas can be. We loved having them on campus and I can't wait for next year to see them back again!

Here are some pictures from the day:

Here's Mike (my boyfriend) and I!

Here's the tree with some of the presents below!

Here's the great room with all of the kids and their buddies!



Giving back to the community is one of the many reasons why Mercyhurst is so much more than just a college. Christmas on Campus is one part of the Mercy way that you will experience! Service is actually a part of our Mission here at Mercyhurst. It's awesome to go to a school that is dedicated to service because not only are we helping others, we're also helping ourselves as we grow and learn to be thankful for what we have.

P.S. A special holiday recommendation: The Glee Holiday CD! First of all, Glee is one of my FAVORITE shows, but the Christmas album is amazing and perfect for the month of December :-)