The Brown & White

Some families in the neighborhoods surrounding campus are less fortunate than others. With the help of Community Relations Coordinator for Lehigh Athletics Roseann Corsi, campus groups have come together to lend a hand.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 15 percent of people in Bethlehem live below the poverty line.

The Adopt-a-Family program runs through three student groups on Lehigh's campus - the varsity athletes, the entire Greek system and 10 various departments. Usually, the program gets its families from the Southside Neighborhood Center, but this year it went through the Donegan Elementary School system.

Between all three groups, Lehigh is helping out 53 families.

Corsi manages the entire program, although she is primarily in charge of the athletes.

Each sport has a representative who goes to meetings in order to organize their team and raise money. The athletes collect their pool of money through donations from family, friends and their own funds.

Each sports team tried to find a good niche to collect money. For example, women's lacrosse used parent tailgates to reach out for donations, while field hockey visited local businesses and contacted businesses in their home towns.

So far this year, with checks still pouring in, the athletes have raised over $30,000. The goal is to break the $32,000 raised last year, and it seems very much attainable, Corsi said.

She said the money from all the sports teams is pooled together and then divided among 18 families. The money is then redistributed to each team to spend on their family.

Prior to this, the family is asked what they need and what they would like to receive. To keep this process organized, there are several forms available for each family. There is the master sheet, listing all the family members, their ages and some additional notes. And then there are separate sheets for each member where they can get into more detail such as what kinds of clothing they want, what sizes and any extra fun things like mp3 players or games.

Corsi also said every year the program tries to save a certain amount of the funds to go toward food certificates for the families.

Each team then takes its money and lists and goes on a shopping spree. A local Marshalls store on Union Boulevard in Bethlehem helps out with the cause by offering Lehigh a 20 percent discount on anything purchased during a series of days in order to stretch the money as far as possible.

Once everything is purchased, the teams organize and wrap the presents and then drop them off at designated locations in the Hall of Fame in Taylor Gym.

Like many teams, the field hockey has demonstrated enthusiasm and activism in this organization.

"Every year the team gets really excited about the opportunity to connect with our local community in such a positive, enjoyable, and productive program," Lilia Stefaniwsky,'11, said. "The program itself is extremely effective and accomplishes the goal of helping those families less fortunate. It is a happy time for both the families and the student athletes. And we think every family and especially children, should experience the joy of the holidays."

The system is slightly different for Greek life students. Greek life Adopt-a-Family Coordinator Devra Noren, '10, explained that at the beginning of the year, Adopt-a-Family is put into the budget for each house.

The amount of money ranges from $300 to $1,400, and the size of the family given to the house depends on their budgeted funds. However, the rest of the process is the same. The Greek houses together help out 26 families.

"I think Adopt-a-Family is one of the most important things we do, and something that my house is really passionate about," said Jacqui Snyder, '11, a sister of Alpha Chi Omega sorority. "I know how much this will mean to [our family] and I think the program as a whole is a good focus for our time and effort because it's something people actually care about,"

Jeremy Selwyn, '10, president of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, said Lehigh students should take an active role in helping local families in need.

"I believe Adopt-a-Family is a worthwhile effort that helps struggling families during the holiday season," he said. "As members of the Bethlehem community, it's important for us to aid and assist those less fortunate who live in the area. I'm glad that we can give back to those who also call Bethlehem home."

The ceremonies for the families this year will be taking place on Dec. 1 for the athletes and Dec. 2 for Greek life.

Both will provide the families with dinner on campus while they receive their presents and, on Dec. 2, the Greek houses plan on having someone dress up as Santa Claus and take pictures with the children.

The program was started 11 years ago when Lehigh's softball coach was at Wawa and overheard the cashier talking to a customer about how she felt she would not be able to get her kids anything for the holidays.

He mentioned it to Corsi and the idea turned into something wonderful.

Corsi emphasized that the experience is a perspective-changing one for Lehigh students.

Members of the women's lacrosse team are excited to help the families out.

"I'm most excited to see the look on our family's faces. It's always a great experience to see what a difference all of us can make for their holidays," Lauren Dykstra, '11, said. "I love seeing how happy they get. I think it's a great experience for us and for the families we're helping. Making a difference in their holidays is so important and it feels great to help them out."

Allison Thomas, '11, expressed similar sentiments about the organization.

"It's just great to see the smiles and to be able to get in touch with our community and be a part of Bethlehem in a way," she said. "It's just a great program to be a part of and when we actually give them the gifts, it's great to be there and see their faces. It kind of makes you want to cry."