Emerson shares generosity

The Emerson community has found many ways to give to the less fortunate this holiday season. The following is a sampling of acts of generosity by Emerson students, faculty, and staff.

During Emerson’s Community Service Club’s Giant Gummy Bear Drawing at Piano Row, students purchased raffle tickets for a chance to win one of several holiday gift baskets that featured one GIGANTIC gummy bear. Proceeds went toward purchasing gifts for children in the Viet-AID Child Care program.

The Phi Alpha Tau fraternity held a clothing drive for the Cambridge-based organization Solutions at Work. Phi Alpha Tau collected professional clothing for low-income men and women in job training programs. From cufflinks to coats, a variety of items were collected and will be distributed to men and women entering the workforce.

Faculty and staff attending the College’s holiday party donated 135 pajamas to The Pajama Program—providing warm pajamas to children seeking adoption in the United States and around the world.

Krochet Kids International hosted an event at Piano Row with live acoustic performances by Berklee College students Rachel Borovik, Robert Gillies, and Luca and the Ambassadors.

Attendees could buy one-of-a-kind crochet hats for people on their holiday shopping lists. Proceeds—which totaled more than $450—went toward changing the lives of the women in Uganda who made the hats, helping them provide for their families.

Students danced the night away for a good cause at the free Winter Yule Ball. Hosted by Emerson’s Residence Hall Association (RHA), the Harry Potter-themed semi-formal event raised $291. The proceeds went to Horizons for Homeless Children in Roxbury. The Yule Ball was the second charity dance hosted by RHA. Last spring’s Masquerade Ball benefited the Haiti Relief Fund.

ONE Campus hosted its first annual event to benefit Bead for Life. The organization advocates for women in Uganda who handcraft recycled paper into beautiful jewelry. The jewelry was available for purchase, with prices ranging from $5 to $30. The event raised $500 to help lift Ugandan women out of extreme poverty.

Finally, dozens of staff from the offices of Admission, Institutional Advancement, and Communications will spend a morning at Cradles to Crayons in Quincy—assisting with their Gear up for Winter Campaign. The Emerson team will inspect, sort, and package toys as well as cold weather essentials (coats, boots, hats, and gloves) for the Commonwealth’s most vulnerable children in under-served communities.