SPH Community Throws Barkley Holiday Party.
Last month, students and staff threw a holiday party for the children of the Ruth Lillian Barkley Apartments, a public housing development near campus.
For the second year in a row, children up to 10 years old received toys from the Toys for Tots Foundation at a party thrown thanks to a fundraiser by the Students of Color for Public Health.
When children are not able to go back to school in January with a gift to tell their friends about, “it can be very stressful for a child,” says Lola Akintobi, president of Students of Color for Public Health. “We decided these children shouldn’t have to deal with that.”
While the fundraiser originally aimed to raise $1,000, the SPH community ultimately donated $1,760. That allowed the party organizers to buy more toys, as well as gift cards for kids from 11 to 14 years old—with a total of 201 children receiving gifts.
The volunteers were also able to purchase wrapping materials for the toys: “It’s important for kids to get the gift of unwrapping the toy,” Akintobi says.
Staff from Student Services and the Office of Public Health Practice joined the Students of Color for Public Health to organize and wrap the gifts and put on the party.
The kids enjoyed food, games, face painting, and a visit from Associate Dean for Public Health Practice Harold Cox as Santa before parents came to pick up their children with their gifts.
Akintobi praises SPH students, faculty, and staff for getting involved: “A big thank you for ensuring that our fellow community members had a great holiday.”