Faculty, staff, and students at Gadsden State Community College have worked to brighten the holiday season for many in the community through various charitable efforts. The Christmas Charity Showcase, which is held every November in conjunction with the Miss Gadsden State Community College Pageant, was the biggest fundraiser coordinated by the College. More than $5,000 was raised during the nineteenth annual event and silent auction with all proceeds being donated to the Salvation Army. Since the program began in 1994, more than $72,500 has been donated to charitable organizations.
The electrical technology department held a coat drive collecting more than 75 coats that were donated to area shelters and mission centers. The drive will continue through January 31, 2014. The annual drive began in 2005 and this year’s donations make a total of 1,826 coats donated since the project began.
Wallace Hall Fine Arts Center partnered with the Gadsden Public Library to sponsor the annual Holiday Movie Spectacular which provided free movies and popcorn to the community while collecting non-perishable food items and new toys for local charities.
The faculty and staff of Gadsden State Cherokee provided gift baskets for several elderly individuals receiving services through the Cherokee County Department of Human Resources. The Science, Math, and Engineering Club at the Cherokee Campus donated food for a local food bank and addressed over 200 Christmas cards to be distributed to local nursing homes. Students made ornaments for the residents at Cherokee Village, an assisted living facility.
Students, faculty, and staff at the Anniston campuses coordinated projects for area residents. Phi Beta Lambda on the Ayers Campus continued their tradition of filling Christmas stockings for the Calhoun/Cleburne Attention Center. This year, the student group provided 13 stockings for the young ladies at the facility. The McClellan Bookworms, a reading group which meets monthly to discuss a variety of books, participated in Operation Paperback. Through this project the group was able to send more than 100 books to U.S. military troops currently serving overseas.
Several student clubs actively participated in a variety of community projects. The Circle K Club hosted a Christmas party for the mentally and physically challenged providing dinner, games, and gifts for the attendees. Club members also assisted in coordinating the Gadsden Christmas Parade. The Student Government Association and the Students without Borders Club worked to fill Christmas Shoe Boxes for the underprivileged as a part of a project of the Alabama-Guatemala Partners of the Americas. Psi Beta, the National Psychology Honor Society, collected items for Project Homeless sponsored by the Family Success Center. The Transit Club helped the Salvation Army bag potatoes for needy families. Rho Theta Sigma donated a changing table to United Cerebral Palsy and participated in the Hand to Hand project.
Employees at Gadsden State also participated in many area civic projects helping the less fortunate during the holidays including the college-wide sponsorship of the United Cerebral Palsy Center in Etowah/Cherokee County. The UCP Center makes various services available for infants and children up to three years of age such as providing physical, speech, and occupational therapy to those with disabilities or delays. The Center provided service to more than 170 children last year.
The Gadsden State family is proud to help those in need in during the holidays and throughout the year. The students, faculty and staff are very committed to being a vital part of the communities they serve.