GREENEVILLE – Tusculum University is brightening the Christmas season for more than 70 children and their families in Greene County by purchasing gifts through the Angel Tree program of Greeneville-Greene County Community Ministries.
These are some of the gifts purchased by members of the Tusculum family.
Students, as well as faculty and staff members, embraced the opportunity to share their resources with families in the community that might need assistance purchasing gifts. The number of participants from the Tusculum family blossomed this year, with significantly more Angel Tree cards being distributed compared to 2018.
Athletic teams, university clubs, departments, faculty members, other groups and individuals stepped forward to pick up cards. They were eager to support this annual project and continue Tusculum’s traditional involvement in it.
“Our students performed exceptionally in helping spread the word about this wonderful initiative, and the rest of the Tusculum family jumped onboard with great enthusiasm to help the community,” said Dr. Greg Nelson, the university’s acting president. “This demonstration of love for others reflects the goodwill and giving hearts that are pervasive throughout Tusculum and the importance of assisting others in need.”
Alex Cole, a senior majoring in elementary education and president of the Alpha Chi national honor society chapter on campus, said she was pleased to be part of the Angel Tree project. She and McKenna Keltner, a senior majoring in museum studies and president of the Honors Student Board of Tusculum’s Honors Program, were the primary organizers.
“I’m just happy to be able to help people,” Cole said. “It was really nice to see so many people from Tusculum come together to participate in this project.”
Keltner was similarly thrilled with the outcome.
“This illustrates in another way the commitment to our mission to have a civic-minded community within Tusculum,” she said. “Everyone who was involved in this initiative should be proud of themselves for what they did. We hope this helps the children and families experience a wonderful Christmas.”
Individuals and groups that took a card were provided with information about the child’s clothing sizes and interests. Carolyn Brooks, the community ministries’ office manager and bookkeeper, expressed her gratitude to everyone at Tusculum.
“I am proud of the student leaders who took on this project and made it such a major success,” she said. “I am extremely pleased with the assistance Tusculum provided and greatly appreciate the university’s efforts.”
For more information about Greeneville-Greene County Community Ministries, please call 423-638-1667.