As I entered the Bowld gym for the Student Activities Council’s Carl Perkins Christmas Party, it didn’t look like the typical bare gym where sweaty boys are running around—instead it looked like the most magical winter wonderland.
The entrance was made to look like snow was on the ground, paper snowflakes were hung from doorways and a Santa Clause was stationed at the front of the room waiting to listen to every desire the children in attendance had. For a night, these children had not only decorations and activities surrounding them, but they also had the undivided attention of the students who sponsored them, and that’s what mattered most.
The Carl Perkins Christmas Party is where different groups of people sponsor a child and buy items from their wish lists and on the night of the event they spend time with the child they shopped for.
The activities included eating dinner, meeting Santa, snacks, crafts, opening presents and hearing a Christmas story.
When talking to Sherry Cole from the Carl Perkins Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse, she said that they had been working on getting things ready for this event since October.
“What the children remember the most is the time the college students are spending with them,” Cole said.
She said people have even stopped her that at one time participated in it as a child asking if they still have the event and saying how much they enjoyed it.
While walking around and hearing the conversations of all the children and students, the sweetest thing I heard was one college student lean over to another and say, “She hasn’t stopped smiling the whole time.”
So whether or not you had the opportunity to attend this event, I definitely recommend talking to someone who did go. It was obvious that not only the kids benefited from this but also all the students who sponsored them and people who helped make the whole event possible.
