Walk through the O.J. Johnson Student Union and you’re bound to pass by the annual Holiday Sharing Tree, a cheery little Christmas tree set up just outside the Community-Based Service Learning office.
In partnership with the St. Peter Head Start Program, Gustavus puts up this “Angel” tree every year as a chance for students and staff to give back to the community. Partipants can select one of the tags hanging on the tree, each of which is a different gift request from a child in need this Christmas.
“The purpose of our Holiday Sharing Tree is to help families who need some assistance during this season,” CBSL Assistant Director Amy Pehrson said.
“The director of the Head Start Program collects the information from the families and then gives it to us anonymously for each child — this year there are over 30 families who are part of the program.”
Gustavus has been working with Head Start for many years now, although the tree has only recently found its current home outside the CBSL office.
Considering the mission of CBSL, this is the perfect spot for the Holiday Sharing Tree not only because of its visibility to the public, but because of the way it links Gustavus to the St. Peter community.
“I think that the Angel Tree is important to Gustavus because it is another thread that weaves us as individuals and as a college into the beautiful tapestry of the local community,” CBSL Director Tonya Kjerland said.
“Being given a chance to tangibly benefit an unknown child is a gift to the giver, and it helps to focus us less on ourselves and more on our role in building community.”
This year, the CBSL office has strengthened this idea of community-building not only by setting up holiday projects like the Angel Tree, but by expanding community service opportunities on campus, like the Gustie Buddies program and Big Partner/Little Partner, which now includes middle school students.
The office’s efforts to forge these connections to the community and inspire people to give back have clearly been successful — as of right now, all of the Holiday Sharing Tree’s tags have been taken.
This says much about how CBSL’s values coincide with those of the Gustavus community as a whole.
“When I was little, my family always used to participate in a giving tree at our church, and I always looked forward to going shopping with my mom and helping her wrap the gifts,” Senior Shailagh Lannon, who is participating this year.
“When I saw the Holiday Sharing Tree here, I felt called to continue what my parents always did – to spend the Christmas season focused on giving rather than receiving.”
This sense of holiday spirit is clearly alive in the efforts of both the CBSL office and those participating, and the donated gifts will be sure to bring smiles to many a child’s face this Christmas.
The CBSL staff would like to remind those participating that gifts are to be returned to the CBSL office by Wednesday, December 13; gifts should be wrapped and should include the original tag.
For those who did not have a chance to grab a tag from the Gustavus Angel Tree, there are still several opportunities to participate this season.
Holiday Sharing Trees have also been set up at the First National Bank and Nutters Clothing in St. Peter, along with several locations in Mankato; these Trees are all serviced by the Salvation Army and Nicollet County Social Services.
Gifts need to be returned to these places by 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 16.
As the winter holidays draw near, there is no doubt that the Holiday Sharing Tree stands as an important symbol not only for the strong sense of community on the Gustavus campus, but for the spirit of giving in a world that sometimes forgets what truly matters at Christmas time.
“The holiday season has become so commercialized in the past decade, and I think it’s important for the Gustavus community to take a moment to step back and remember what the holiday season is about,” Lannon reflected. “It’s about love and gratitude and community. The Tree is one way to do that.”