Rotaract helps make global impact

Members of Rotaract are using the spirit of holiday giving as an impetus to make an impact in the lives of children across the globe.

Operation: Christmas Child invites the campus community to fill shoe boxes with items like toys, hard candy, hair bows, hats or hygiene products.

The boxes are designated for particular gender and age groups, wrapped and given to Samaritan's Purse, a faith-based charitable organization that coordinates the operation and distributes the boxes.

Bianca McNees, senior from Clarksville, is the chairwoman for the project this year.

"In the past, we haven't had committees for different projects," McNees said. "Everyone has just done everything. This year, we decided to be more organized and put together committees, and so this is the project I decided to do.

"It's a project I enjoyed, and I'd done it before because my church at home does it, so I was familiar with it and how it works."

McNees attributed the organization's long history with Operation: Christmas Child to its far-reaching impact.

"I think we keep doing it because it's a project that helps children worldwide," she said. "It gives us an opportunity to affect not only our community, but the international community. Rotaract and Rotary are both international organizations."

The project began Nov. 4 with drop-off boxes in residential colleges and in the Curris Center.

"We basically put up fliers all over campus and try to make it a campus-wide event," McNees said. You can just go to the Dollar Store and get like mini toothpastes, hygiene items, toys, hard candy, hats, hair bows for little girls, sunglasses or things like that."

McNees said Rotaract encouraged residential colleges to use the drive as a competition between floors, or as a program for resident advisers.

After the boxes were packed, a slip of paper was attached indicating the chosen gender and age range.

Students could wrap the boxes themselves, or leave them unwrapped at a drop-off point or with a Rotaract member.

The club wrapped the shoe boxes Wednesday culminating the end of the drive.

After the boxes were wrapped, Rotaract members dropped them off at a local branch of Samaritan's Purse. McNees said they cannot be certain where Murray State's boxes are sent.

"They usually send it to places like countries in Africa, and some in South America, as well," McNees said. "We just drop the boxes off and they send them where they are needed."

McNees said in years past, shoeboxes have been sent to several countries in Africa as well as some locations in South America.

Rotaract President Julie Lewis, junior from Munford, said Samaritan's Purse collected 7.4 million boxes last year and hopes to reach the 8 million mark with this year's drive.

"The shoebox project is one of Rotaract's most successful events that the campus really gets involved in," Lewis said. "It is a great way for somebody to have a good time while making a difference in a child's life."

Lewis said last year, Murray State's drive yielded about 250 shoeboxes. Rotaract members hope to see an increase this year.

Though the deadline for the campus drive has passed, anyone interested in packing shoeboxes can still make donations.

Samaritan's Purse recommends organizing campaigns through churches, schools or other civic and community groups. Individual boxes also can be sent.

Visit http://www.samaritanspurse.org/OCC_Index.asp to find out how to become involved.