The spirit of the holidays is alive and well among the staff, students and faculty at the UF College of Dentistry as shown by the overwhelming response for food, gift and clothing drives at the college.
The Dental College Council organized a food drive for Bread of the Mighty Food Bank in November and members of the college contributed 510 lbs of food – enough to provide for more than 80 families over the holidays.
On December 12, during the College’s Holiday Tea, gifts for 47 children were collected and delivered to the Partnership for Strong Families for the Wish Upon a Star program coordinated for the college by Susan Scarpa and the Special Event Planners.
“The people at Partnership for Strong Families were extremely happy when they saw our delivery. Our faculty, staff and students are still bringing me gifts for unnamed children. I am moved by the generosity of my coworkers and our students, despite a troubled economy and the financial worries that many of us are dealing with,” Scarpa said.
The student dental clinics organized to adopt five families, about 30 adults and children, for the holidays through Catholic Charities. Dr. Ron Watson pitched the idea and Dr. Geraldine Weinstein, Stephanie Scrambling and Kathleen Leigh grabbed it and ran with it. The students, faculty and staff wrapped and labeled the gifts, and had them ready for pickup on Dec. 15, just in time to ensure a happy holiday for families in need.
Ray Milligan, the community outreach coordinator for Catholic Charities who picked up the gifts, said, “It is a joy to travel around our community and witness the generosity of so many people during this season.”
And there are more opportunities to give in the college.
A clothing and canned food drive continues through Dec. 18 with donation boxes in clinics 1A, 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B, the Office of Education and in the Dean’s office area.
The group organizing the Bald for a Cause Relay for Life program added a big stocking marked “cancer donations” to the Dean’s office area holiday décor. They’re asking for donations, large or small, to help their campaign to raise $50,000 for the American Cancer Society. Checks can be made out to “American Cancer Society” and contributions are tax deductible.
Although the official fundraising for Bald for a Cause doesn’t begin until January, the group is trying to get the ball rolling early with small fundraising efforts like singing Christmas carols in the Town of Tioga on Dec. 13 which netted $70 in donations plus the benefit of spreading some old fashioned Christmas cheer.
Thank you to everyone who participates so generously by giving time, talent, money and gifts to those less fortunate in our community.
