For over a decade, Illinois State University’s Holiday Helper program has provided gifts and hosted parties for hundreds of local children each year during the holiday season.
The program, coordinated by the Center for Civic Engagement (CCE), is being spearheaded this year by CCE community service graduate assistant McKenna Myers.
“As the community service graduate assistant, I oversee all aspects of the program,” said Myers. “From start to finish, I coordinate with our community partners who are engaged in the program, I oversee the whole sponsorship process, and I coordinate volunteers for the Wrap and Pack events, as well as assisting with holiday parties.”
This holiday season, 359 children were sponsored through Holiday Helper. There were more than 20 group sponsorships this year and more than 30 clubs, classes, and departments volunteered at Wrap & Pack events. Myers said six key community partners connected the CCE with children to participate in Holiday Helper including the Boys and Girls Club of Bloomington Normal, the Center for Youth and Family Solutions, Marcfirst through Carle BroMenn, Unity Community Center, Western Avenue Community Center, and YWCA of McLean Country.
“Five of those are having parties,” said Myers. “Four of them are being planned by Dr. Bin Lizzo’s class.”
Dr. Bin Lizzo is an assistant professor in the School of Kinesiology and Recreation at Illinois State University. In one of her courses, Advanced Experience Facilitation, she has teamed up with Myers and the CCE for her students to plan Holiday Helper parties.
“This is a way to give them that hands-on experience, not only with designing and implementing an event, but working with professionals in the field,” she said.
One of Lizzo’s students who also happens to work at the CCE, Maddie McNab, is a senior recreation and park administration major. She has helped with Holiday Helper parties over the past two years through her involvement with the CCE and her class with Lizzo.
“It’s been an awesome opportunity to practice programming skills and practice facilitation skills for my major,” said McNab. “That is a big part of my future career—facilitation, working with the community, working with community partners, and working with different organizations. That is something that is going to be beneficial for me in the long run.”
Lizzo said working with the Holiday Helper program has provided a great experience for her students and is something she hopes will continue next year and beyond.
“I try to teach my students that every one person can make a difference in terms of not only civic engagement, but changing the world to be a better place,” said Lizzo.
