Union University’s Student Activities Council hosted the annual Carl Perkins Christmas event on Dec. 3, allowing Union students to celebrate Christmas with children from the Jackson area.
“Carl Perkins Christmas is an opportunity for Union students to join together with friends and organizations to sponsor kids and give them a Christmas that they wouldn’t otherwise have,” said Leah Campbell, a sophomore music education major and SAC member.
Many people say that there is no such thing as celebrating Christmas too early, and Union students showed just that as they gave money, went shopping and then celebrated Christmas with a child they had never met before.
According to the Carl Perkins Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse website, the “mission of the center is to provide support to families in preventing and dealing with child abuse in West Tennessee and to help both parents and children meet the practical needs of preserving and improving the quality of family life.”
Each Christmas season, Union students get to sponsor children from the Carl Perkins Center for Christmas.
David Bowman, a junior business administration major and Heritage RA, sponsored a child with the residents of Pollard.
“I wanted to be able to help a child have a really good Christmas,” Bowman said.
The evening began when a few members from each organization met the child and ate a meal with the child. This was an opportunity for college students to set aside school work and choose to listen to, laugh with and invest in this child during the few hours they had together.
After the meal, children and their sponsors made their way into the Bowld gym, where there were Christmas decorations, lights and chairs circled around the room. Each chair had a child’s name on it and gifts from their sponsor piled on the seat.
“I love watching the kids open their presents!” Campbell said. “Many of these kids may not have gotten presents this Christmas without the Carl Perkins party.”
Bowman said that the child his building sponsored was pretty shy at first, but he warmed up and was telling everyone about the gifts he got. A remote-control truck was at the top of his wish list, and when he opened that gift, he was able to get it out and play with it with his sponsors.
Bowman participated in this event with his building last year as well, and he enjoyed getting to be a part of this experience with two different kids.
“I was more prepared this year,” said Bowman. “Being able to work with kids over the summer helped me.”
Bowman said that it was cool to get to play around with his sponsor child and enjoy his sense of humor.
After some time opening and playing with gifts, Maggie Exum, a sophomore education major and SAC member, read the Christmas story to all of the sponsor children.
“Carl Perkins Christmas is an opportunity to share Jesus with these kids, and that is such a special gift for us,” Campbell said.
This event provided a unique opportunity to impact both the Union community and the Jackson community.
“This event gives us the opportunity to love and serve these kids and the Carl Perkins Center,” Campbell said. “I hope that the kids and their families are shown the love of Christ through our giving.”
Coming together to give to and celebrate with these children also unites the Union community as they move towards the end of the semester.
“Being able to bring all the building and organizations together was really cool,” Bowman said.
Each college student who participated in this event took time out of their week before finals to love on some kids and help them celebrate Christmas.
“It is a very busy time of the year, but I think that it makes it even more important to step back from school work or whatever else and give our time and money to bless others,” Campbell said.
This event allows the Union community to come together for something bigger than themselves.
“It shows it’s not always about us,” Bowman said. “It shows we need to be able to put others first.”
Although this event is held in order to make a difference in the lives of kids, it also plays a part in the lives of Union students.
“It is such a special night for those kids, but it is so special to us as well,” said Campbell. “It brings us so much joy to watch those kids open those presents and to share the Christmas story with them. I hope that we made a real difference in their lives—bigger than just presents.”
Photo by Tamara Friesen
