This holiday season, Community Engagement Programs and Partnerships (CEPP) is busy with many projects aimed at helping others, involving students, staff and faculty. Starting back in October around Halloween, CEPP students collected donations for UNICEF and also ran a candy drive for troops in Afghanistan. A week after Army Brigadier General Richard F. Johnson P’19 spoke to students via Skype as the Veterans’ Day Assembly speaker, the candy was packaged up and sent to his troops.
“It made it more personable and emotional to hear from the individual who was going to receive our gifts, and it influenced the connection our student body had with the drive,” says Elena Viceira (I), co-head of the CEPP student board. “We hope to continue this drive annually to show our gratitude to those who serve our country abroad. We also hope to welcome new faces to our program and encourage students to actively engage in the projects we offer and consider the deeper meaning of that engagement.”
In November, CEPP also hosted a Hunger Awareness Week. The main event was a lunch period during which students and adults drew lottery tickets that assigned them to either a high-, middle- or low-income tier. The number of tickets for each income level was proportional to current incomes worldwide, with the majority representing people who live in poverty. The ticket that each participant received indicated whether they would eat a full meal, rice and beans, or just a bowl of rice. Almost $1,500 was raised, which will be donated to Partners in Health programs in Haiti and the Navajo Nation.
CEPP is also managing a gift drive to fulfill the wishes of 50 children from the Department of Children and Families (DCF) as well as some requests for families of students at the Taylor Elementary School. Many student advisory groups together are purchasing gifts or collecting money for food baskets. The food baskets are for about 20 families support by DCF, and students will assemble the baskets next week.