In the past week, more than 150 underprivileged children of the Muncie community have been selected to receive gifts from Ball State faculty, staff and students through the Angel Tree.
For the past 10 years, the Office of Leadership and Service Learn-ing has acquired the names of young children in need to bring joy to their holiday season.
The Delaware County Depart-ment of Family and Children Services distribute the names of families in Muncie who are unable to afford presents for their children. Once families are selected to receive gifts from the Angel Tree, faculty, staff and students "adopt" a child for which to buy gifts.
Tiffany Erk, program assistant for the Office of Leadership and Service Learning, is heading the program this year with student co-chairwomen, Shellie Hoffman and Meredith Reese.
"What took me by surprise was six-year-old children asking for socks and underwear, something we wouldn't consider a present," Erk said.
Erk said although all names from the tree have been adopted this year, donations of money or gifts suitable for either gender are still being accepted.
Ideal gifts are gloves, socks, scarfs, winter wear and books. Those who sponsor children are asked not to spend more than $25 on gifts.
Hoffman, secretary for Student Voluntary Services, said the word of mouth and advertising out of the new office in the Student Center may be the reason all the children have been adopted.
"It's a really cool program because it benefits more than one person," Hoffman said. "It makes me feel like I'm doing something that I'm supposed to be doing, like I'm giving back to the community."
All gifts, due Dec. 3, will be wrapped during finals, then delivered to the Delaware Department of Family and Children Services. The families of the Angel Tree Children receive the presents and are able to give them to their children.
Erk said this program, which is something that people look forward to each year, is a wonderful opportunity that she has been involved in and would like to continue to be a participant by adopting children from the Angel Tree in the future.
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