STANDISH, Maine – For the third-consecutive year, members of the Saint Joseph’s College Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) participated in Operation Christmas Child, a global Christmas gift exchange project operated by Samaritan's Purse, late last month.
The Saint Joseph’s SAAC, which features at least one representative from each of the Monks’ athletic programs, gathered before the Thanksgiving holiday to fill shoeboxes with toys and other items that will be shipped to less fortunate children, ages 2-14, in multiple countries around the world.
The student-athletes gift-wrapped the boxes, which were filled with matchbox cars, coloring books, crayons, socks, toothbrushes and toothpaste, hats and mittens and various other items - all of which donated by SAAC members and athletic teams. This year’s bounty also included a GOMONKS.com sticker and Monks tee shirt for each box.
With the help of Committee Advisor Tiffany Miller-Gagnon, the SJC SAAC members assembled 21 total boxes, more than double the amount submitted by the group last winter. Their contribution was added to the shipment made by Royal Ridge Church of God in Scarborough, Maine. This year, Samaritan’s Purse has implemented a tracking feature so the SJC SAAC members will learn where each package was sent.
Operation Christmas Child, a ministry of Samaritan's Purse, provides an opportunity for people of all ages to be involved in simple, hands-on mission projects. According to the Samaritan's Purse web site, the mission of Operation Christmas Child is to demonstrate God's love in a tangible way to needy children around the world, and together with the local church worldwide, to share the Good News of Jesus Christ.
#GOMONKS
Follow Saint Joseph's Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram!
Saint Joseph's College is Maine's only Catholic liberal arts college, providing a supportive, personalized and career-focused education for more than 100 years. From its 430-acre campus on the shores of Sebago Lake, the College offers more than 40 undergraduate programs to a population of approximately 1,000 students. Saint Joseph's College Online provides certificates, undergraduate and advanced degrees for working adults through an online learning program. For more, visit www.sjcme.edu.