Angel Tree 2009 Arrives at Mississippi College
Nationwide, there are 1.7 million children with one or both parents in prison as the holiday season draws near.
To brighten the Christmas holidays for 130 of these youngsters in metro Jackson communities, Mississippi College is again hosting an Angel Tree to shower them with gifts.
The Baptist-affiliated school is asking MC faculty, staff and students to stop by its Christmas tree display in the cafeteria to adopt these "angels." They are in need of toys, books, games and a little extra love during the holidays. The campaign begins this week on the Clinton campus and will wind up Nov. 30.
MC's Community Service Center is again overseeing the drive to purchase Christmas items for the children. The campaign allows members of the MC family to sponsor a child for up to $50 each.
Community Service Center Director Shari Barnes says the children being sponsored are from Raymond, Jackson, Clinton, Crystal Springs and other nearby towns.
The drive at MC is part of the national effort launched by the Prison Fellowship Ministries.
Whether they have parents behind bars at the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility in Rankin County or housed at other prisons around the Magnolia State, the metro area children won't be forgotten this Christmas at Mississippi College, she said.
Working at the Angel Tree table in the cafeteria Wednesday, MC sophomore Katie Fatheree of Flowood said 18 people signed up in just over an hour to reach out to the kids.
"Angel Tree is a great way to give back during the holidays,'' Fatheree said. "It's a great way to bless the children's Christmas and make it memorable.''
In another holiday season project, the Community Service Center is collecting diapers for Bethany Christian Services in November and December. It is a Christian adoption agency that ministers to mothers with unplanned pregnancies. Donations are piling up at the center on the first floor of the B.C. Rogers Student Center.
For each donation, names will be entered into a drawing for a $50 Wal-Mart gift card. For more information, contact Shari Barnes at 601.925.3855.
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