Giving Back is Second Nature at UK
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Dec. 19, 2012) — University of Kentucky employees are known for their generous spirit —from the consistently strong, campus-wide support of the United Way of the Bluegrass year after year to the small, but significant, grassroots efforts of a small group of colleagues who see a need and address it.
This season is a particularly generous time of year for UK employees.
There’s the Circle of Love, just completing its 26th year. UK HealthCare employees bought, wrapped and delivered 800 gifts to Fayette County schoolchildren this year. After making sure all the children’s names are distributed to UK HealthCare employees who commit to buying gifts, volunteers spend untold hours sorting toys, matching them to children's wish lists, wrapping them and organizing them for easy distribution.
A similar tradition was initiated by the UK Sanders-Brown Center on Aging this winter. But this holiday gift tree focuses on the needs of the elderly, rather than the young. The tree was filled with tags detailing wished-for items. Some of the items are physical objects, while others are non-tangible goods like transportation services, registration at an Alzheimer's workshop, or other experiences that would benefit older adults.
The new College of Arts & Sciences Staff Council held a college-wide collection of stuffed animals in December. Initially, the toys were earmarked for a Kentucky State Police project, but that didn’t work out as planned. The bump in the road didn’t derail the volunteers, however. The determined gifters simply found another way. The stuffed animals went to the Lexington Fayette Urban County Government firefighters for their Christmas toy drive.
Over the years, employees of the UK Development Office have made donations at this time of year to the public food bank, God’s Pantry. This holiday season, they gave 16,454 pounds of food.
College of Law faculty and staff collected school supplies to go to Arlington Elementary School. Arlington’s principal will present their gifts at the dean’s annual holiday open house. Last year, the college donated books to Baby Health Service.
For several years, volunteers from the Division for Student Affairs have worked with student groups to build Habitat for Humanity homes in various parts of Lexington. Recently, a large team donated a full day to work on the current UK Greek Habitat for Humanity house, completing the siding of the home, building the yard shed and installing doors.
The Art Museum's education programming people provided a free holiday-themed crafts event before the Lexington Philharmonic Orchestra Candy Cane concert. This was the 12th year the museum has participated in making art and fun for families before the concert.
The newly formed College of Communication and Information Staff Council sponsored its first college-wide Holiday Hygiene Drive, benefiting the Lexington Hope Center. The Hope Center fights homelessness by providing shelter, food, clothing, recovery, employment, housing, health, mental health, social service, education and outreach to those in need. The hygiene drive collected disposable razors, shampoo, conditioner, soaps, toothpaste and toothbrushes, which were personally delivered during the holiday season. The College of Communication and Information Staff Council has plans to sponsor a series of community service opportunities throughout the year, including a God's Pantry Food Drive and an after-hours group outing to serve at a local soup kitchen.
Members of UK HealthCare Security, a division of the UK Police Department, started volunteering at the Ronald McDonald House about a year ago. They began by signing up on a quarterly basis to fix a meal for the Ronald McDonald House visitors. In October, they took enough Halloween pumpkins filled with candy for all the children with families staying at the house. For the current holiday season, other divisions of the UK Police Department joined UK HealthCare Security to collect enough money to buy stockings filled with small toys to give to the children and gift cards for the families.
While countless UK employees give of their time and financial resources to special causes year-round, these are just a few examples of how UK departments have worked together as teams to fulfill the Kentucky Promise by making the holiday season special for others.