Happy Holidays for Hannah House

When: November 2008
Where: Russell House Suite 227
What: Sponsored by Women’s Student Services, students, faculty, and staff can pick ornaments from a Holiday tree that have an item from the wish list of a woman or child at Hannah House and be able to provide that item for them .

This project benefits women and children who will be staying in the Hanna House homeless shelter during the holidays. Most women enter the shelter with only the clothes they are wearing. The ornaments on the tree are items from a wish list that the women and children create. These wish lists allow them to have basic needs fulfilled as well as a few desired items such as toys or books.

A party is held for the children in December in a room donated by Embassy Suites. Santa distributes some gifts and others are put under a tree for the children to open later. Each child wraps a gift for their mother and the mother does the same for the child. This allows them to exchange gifts.

This project is designed to help provide basic clothing and necessities for the women and children. When the gifts are received, it helps the children’s self-esteem and sense of belonging with other children. Older children realize that people actually care about them and their situation. The project also fosters a sense of “pay it forward” and hopefully encourages the women and children to help others when they can. The shelter only houses the women and children for 30 to 90 days so new families are helped each year.

If you would like more information regarding the Hannah House, you can visit: www.hannahhousesc.com

Hannah House Holiday Giving 2005