A number of individuals across TRU teamed up to buy gift cards for seven student families in need. To dress them up. each family received their cards in a metal tree ornament along with some round, foil-wrapped chocolates.

Staff, faculty, and students from all over campus have been collecting and contributing in various ways to those in need this holiday season, and the following is just one example of TRU’s generosity at this time of year.

Seven student families in need will have a merrier holiday thanks to the generosity of a few departments on campus.

A combination of gift cards and money amounting to more than $1,200 was collected over the past few weeks. The cash was converted into gift cards and families received a portion based on how large the family.

Teaming up to raise the amount was Human Resources, Institutional Planning and Analysis (IPA), Risk Management, School of Business and Economics, Aboriginal Services, and Faculty of Law. Law collected for two families and School of Business staff member Sherry Bennett took on the entire task of buying for one.

“Life has been good to me, and I’m enjoying the opportunity to pay it forward,” said Bennett who personally presented her contribution to her family on Dec. 19.

“The best part about the Christmas hamper program for me is being given the opportunity to connect, face-to-face, with people from my own community. While the gifts are nice, for me it’s more about simply letting people know that we are here, and we care,” Bennett said.

Another notable contributor was IPA’s director, Dorys Crespin-Mueller, who purchased a $25 gift card for each of the seven families.

To make receiving the cards a little more festive, campaign coordinator Debbie McNichol placed each family’s cards in a round metal tree ornament and included a handful of round, foil-wrapped, chocolates.

Read about some of the other collecting and giving over the past few weeks.