By Jennifer Branscum

[email protected]

As the temperature begins to drop, the amount of giving in the community seems to rise. This is echoed by some of the initiatives campus organizations offer around this time of year.

“Around the holidays people are more giving, it becomes easier to do more work to help out those charities,” said Andrew Ritzel, Executive Director for the Center for Community Outreach.

Service options around the holidays are expansive and make it easier for students to get involved with or without an organization.

“We do a lot of different activities — one of our biggest one is Circle of Love, which is part of an organization called PLAY, or Placing Leaders Among Youth,” Ritzel said.

“We have around 500 names of children from Lexington-Fayette schools who don’t receive a lot of gifts around this time of year and we distribute those names and try to provide gifts for those children.”

The center also houses the Young at Heart program that allows students to work with the elderly. This season the Young at Heart program hosted a Christmas wreath creating event to give their creations as gifts to local nursing homes, Ritzel said.

The Center for Community Outreach has almost 11 programs dedicated to getting students involved in their community, but other organizations , such as the Christian Student Fellowship try to do their part volunteering this season.

CSF is currently collecting their annual end of year donation to give to charities of their choice, as well as a new initiative to help children in the local community.

“We are hoping to raise a couple thousand dollars to give away to Angel Tree, which provides Christmas toys to children with incarcerated parents,” said Brian Marshall, Director of Christian Student Fellowship.

While giving does seem to increase in December, charity can be at any time of the year.

“This type of service is easy for groups to rally around and gives a sense of common purpose,” said Rhonda Strouse, Director of Student Involvement.

“You’ll see a lot of students giving to drives, and even if you don’t see it right in front of you, you’ll see groups making plans to serve, collect and contribute.”As the temperature begins to drop, the amount of giving in the community seems to rise. This is echoed by some of the initiatives campus organizations offer around this time of year.

“Around the holidays people are more giving, it becomes easier to do more work to help out those charities,” said Andrew Ritzel, Executive Director for the Center for Community Outreach.

Service options around the holidays are expansive and make it easier for students to get involved with or without an organization.

“We do a lot of different activities — one of our biggest one is Circle of Love, which is part of an organization called PLAY, or Placing Leaders Among Youth,” Ritzel said.

“We have around 500 names of children from Lexington-Fayette schools who don’t receive a lot of gifts around this time of year and we distribute those names and try to provide gifts for those children.”

The center also houses the Young at Heart program that allows students to work with the elderly. This season the Young at Heart program hosted a Christmas wreath creating event to give their creations as gifts to local nursing homes, Ritzel said.

The Center for Community Outreach has almost 11 programs dedicated to getting students involved in their community, but other organizations , such as the Christian Student Fellowship try to do their part volunteering this season.

CSF is currently collecting their annual end of year donation to give to charities of their choice, as well as a new initiative to help children in the local community.

“We are hoping to raise a couple thousand dollars to give away to Angel Tree, which provides Christmas toys to children with incarcerated parents,” said Brian Marshall, director of Christian Student Fellowship.

While giving does seem to increase in December, charity can be at any time of the year.

“This type of service is easy for groups to rally around and gives a sense of common purpose,” said Rhonda Strouse, Director of Student Involvement.

“You’ll see a lot of students giving to drives, and even if you don’t see it right in front of you, you’ll see groups making plans to serve, collect and contribute.”