WVJC Bridgeport Students and Staff Served The Community!
The WVJC Bridgeport campus has taken part in two community events this fall. The first event was a charity drive for Ms. Holyfield’s Current Events class. Current Events is a course that aims to keep students informed about current political and social issues. One of the social issues that students have been researching was homelessness and its impact on communities.
One of our staff members is from Baltimore, Maryland, and posted on her Facebook page that she was collecting donations for Kenwood High School. She stated that one of the school counselors from the high school had partnered with the school social worker to create a free “Grab & Go” station for their students. The station consists of school supplies and hygiene products for students that are in need. They were asking for donations to keep the project going. They stated that “they have received a lot of positive feedback from the students about the variety of items available.” The school counselor requested travel-size personal-sized hygiene products. These size products are the perfect size to put in plastic sleeves.
Ms. Holyfield thought this would be a good opportunity for her class to donate and come together as a community. Her students collected donations from around their community, such as asking businesses for donations, purchasing donations, and asking their church for donations. The response was fantastic. Her office was overflowing with donations. Ms. Brown plans to take the donations back to her high school during Thanksgiving break. She is excited to return to her high school with a trunk full of donations.
We participated in the community event called the Angel Tree Program and collected donations for The Salvation Army in Harrison County. West Virginia Junior College of Bridgeport has been partnering with The Salvation Army since 2010. This partnership is a wonderful opportunity for the staff and students to give back to the community. The Angel Tree program is a program that provides gifts for children and seniors around the community. The gifts can range from toys to new clothing. A Wishlist list is provided for each child. Our campus chose to provide gifts for 20 children this year, ranging from 0-12 years old. All 20 children were chosen in less than a day.
Mark Hatten, an IT student, stated, “He wanted to participate in the Angel Tree Program because he wanted to set an example for his two young daughters. He said growing up, his family was less fortunate, and now that he is able to give back to others.” Mark says, “it is a great feeling to be able to give back and make sure that a child has a wonderful Christmas.”
Two of our staff members, Jean and Jessica, decided to adopt an angel together. Jessica expressed, “She was very eager to participate because, in the past, she was not always able to purchase presents for her four children.” She said, “This program is a great opportunity to make a child’s Christmas dreams come true.”
The Angel Tree Program is in several communities around the state of West Virginia, the United States, and Canada. If you want to donate, you can contact your locate Salvation Army or visit their website.