Marshall University’s First

Year Residence Halls and Marshall

Rec Center have teamed

up with local organizations to

provide the community with

holiday gifts this season.

Three trees, one in the

lobby of the Marshall Rec

Center and one in each lobby

of the First Year Residence

Halls, are set up with wish

tags from various agencies

for those in need this Christmas

season.

Givers may collect tags and

return un-wrapped gifts to

that same location with the

tag attached to help someone

in need. All items must be

dropped off by Dec. 10.

Dan Belcher, facility and

operations coordinator for

the Rec Center, said this event

is a great way for Marshall to

give back to the community.

“This program is a way for

students and other members

of Marshall to see and respect

that there are others in the

community outside of Marshall,”

Belcher said. “Most of

the gifts that are available to

buy will benefit children and

young adults, so students

should feel connected to

them.”

Belcher said in the past

two years, Rec the Halls has

been a way to keep in touch

with the agencies that help

people in the tri-state. They

have been able to give out

more than 500 gifts to those

in need.

The organizations involved

are NECCO, Pressley Ridge,

Lily’s Place, Big Brothers/Big

Sisters, Branches Domestic

Violence Shelter, Golden Girl,

A.D. Lewis Community Center

and Ronald McDonald House.

The wishes were made by local

children and submitted

through each agency. Each

organization has submitted

anywhere from 20-100

wishes each.

Amanda McComas, executive

director of Branches

Domestic Violence Shelter,

said this is the organization’s

first time being involved in

this event.

“We are honored that Marshall

would include us in such

an event,” McComas said. “I

believe this event will be very

beneficial to the community,

and I am excited to see what

can happen through it.”

Contributors should not

worry about wrapping the

gifts, as the Rec and FirstYear

Residence Halls will take care

of wrapping with the help of

volunteers.

A wrapping party will be at

10 a.m. Dec. 12 at 10 a.m. to

wrap the gifts. Volunteers will

be rewarded with snacks and

drinks while enjoying one another’s

company in a festive

atmosphere.

Kelly Pate can be contacted

at pate20@marshall.

edu.