News > November 15, 2007

By Jordan Brewster | Staff writer

Santa and graduate students will help deliver “Christmas Cheer” to local children Dec. 8. The Wake Forest Graduate School Association and some local businesses are helping to sponsor the event, which will be responsible for bringing together the community in order to help children-in-need during the holiday season.

Santa and graduate students will help deliver “Christmas Cheer” to local children Dec. 8.

The Wake Forest Graduate School Association and some local businesses are helping to sponsor the event, which will be responsible for bringing together the community in order to help children-in-need during the holiday season.

The event is called Christmas Cheer and during the past six years, it has taken over 240 underprivileged kids on shopping sprees at the Target located on University Parkway.

Christmas Cheer will take place from 7-11 a.m. Dec. 8.

The Winston-Salem Jaycees, Target and the Salvation Army started the event over six years ago and it has continued annually to great success.

In the past three years, the Graduate School Association has become more involved. This year they are helping to co-host the event, which entails raising money and awareness as well as volunteering.

Each of the children will receive a $150 Target Gift Card to buy Christmas gifts for their family and themselves.

Volunteers from the graduate schools along with members of the Jaycees will escort the children.

The escorts will help the kids pick out gifts for their families and friends, while making sure they also get something for themselves.

There will also be a place where the kids can help wrap the presents.

The volunteers will also help deliver the presents later in the month.

Local restaurants like Panera Bread, Krispy Kreme and McDonalds will donate breakfast for the event, which will be complementary to the kids and their families.

Santa (played by a graduate student) will also join the crowd at Target, which will be closed to the public that morning.

Each child will have an opportunity to talk with him, sit on his lap and get a picture taken with him.

Jennifer Kiger, a molecular genetics graduate student and member of the Graduate Student Association has been helping out at the event for the past three years.

Of the annual event, Kigel said “The best part of the day is when the kids first show up. They are so excited, they just go crazy.”

Each year around $8,000 must be raised to fund the event.

While they have already raised over $3,000, the GSA is still looking for donators as well as volunteers.

They are also extending a welcome to any university undergraduates who would like to help out during the event.

“We are Wake Forest students,” Kiger said. “Pro Humanitate is our motto too.”

“We want to add community service as part of Graduate School Association as professionals in the community.”

For more information on how to donate or volunteer, e-mail Jennifer Kiger at jekiger@wfubmc.edu.