Campus News

Spread the Holiday Spirit to Children This Season With Circle of Love

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photo of wrapped presents
Circle of Love flyer with details in light pink font over black backrground

 LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 13, 2019) The holiday season is upon us and Circle of Love is an opportunity for the University of Kentucky community to make the season brighter for those in need. Though many people connect during the holidays with gifts, family and friends; unfortunately, this isn’t a reality for all.

In Fayette County alone, 45% of public school students receive free or reduced lunch and 12.2% of those students’ families receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. Many of these families receiving government assistance to ensure essentials are met may not have room in their budgets for holiday gifts.

Circle of Love can help fill that gap. It provides UK students, faculty and staff the opportunity to give new toys and clothing to families across the Bluegrass. Circle of Love participants can lift a financial burden from parents by ensuring their holiday season is filled with joy.

Elementary schools in Lexington are contacted and share lists of families in need. Those families’ wish lists are printed out for the campus community to sponsor. Wish lists can be picked now through Nov. 27 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, in Gatton Student Center Suite A154. Gifts will be due from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Dec. 2, and Tuesday, Dec. 3, in Gatton Student Center Ballroom C.

Schools will then be able to pick up the gifts and deliver them to the families. Individual gifts and donations can be given by those who do not have the resources to sponsor a child or family.

This year, InfoKat, the online library system will be used to check out wish lists through this link: https://saa-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/primo-explore/search?query=any,contains,COL&tab=col_tab&search_scope=col_scope&vid=UKY&lang=en_US&offset=0.

Request a child’s record like you would for Book Express and go to My Library Account. The information will be in your Requests then move to your Loans box. Click on the child’s name twice to see the details in the wish list.

For more information and further questions, please contact Elizabeth Medina at Elizabeth.medina@uky.edu or call 859-257-3110.

As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.   

In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.