GLENSIDE, Pa. - In a year that has largely been consumed with uncertainty and pause, Arcadia's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) has done more than its part to restore a sense of normalcy in local communities during a holiday season that has transpired to fall well outside the realm of normal.
After raising $1,338 for front line workers in local hospitals in October and $2,125 to provide for 43 Thanksgiving meals in November, the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee launched its third fundraising campaign of the fall in early December after hearing about the United States Postal Service's (USPS) Operation Santa, an initiative that Arcadia Athletics had previous ties to.
"The women's basketball team was met with the opportunity to take part in Operation Santa in 2019 and it turned into a very heartwarming experience," Faith Diaz, a junior with the women's basketball program, said. "We all enjoyed raising the money, going out and buying gifts for the family we chose, and wrapping the gifts together as a team. Given our prior knowledge of the campaign, we thought that it would be amazing if we could expand the experience and include all of Arcadia Athletics to help provide gifts for more than just one family."
The mission of USPS Operation Santa is to provide a channel where people can go online to browse through and select letters to Santa from children and their families, enabling them to have a magical holiday when they otherwise might not. After the SAAC executive committee parsed through the letters, they made a goal to raise enough money to provide gifts for seven families this holiday season.
"This year, we really wanted to do something special for families because of how the pandemic has impacted the financial needs of more people than in year's past," Arcadia women's basketball senior Haley Still said. "When the SAAC board collaborated with Faith and I, we were all on the same page of wanting to give a deserving holiday season to as many families as we could."
Given the two-week period the committee had to raise enough money for Operation Santa, the executive board took to social media for the campaign, utilizing a similar strategy that was used for UKnight for the Front Line in October. Through the committee's Instagram account, individuals pledged donations by reserving spaces that had corresponding dollar amounts on a bingo board.
As was the case with other campaigns over the past few months, the original donation goal was met relatively quickly with more donations set to come in over the course of the final week leading up to the deadline. By the end of the donation period, SAAC eclipsed $3,000 in donations and was met with an opportunity for what they could do with the remaining funds and got in contact with A Woman's Place in Doylestown - a community-based, social change organization that provides free, private, confidential, and comprehensive services to anyone who has experienced domestic violence in Bucks County.
"Coincidentally, the day before SAAC announced the Operation Santa drive, 2020 graduate
Taylor Dunn reached out to me with thoughts of helping A Woman's Place in Doylestown by providing them with items from their wishlist, including food, toiletries, diapers, and cleaning supplies," Director of Sport Performance and Head Athletic Trainer
Danielle Duffy said. "I had a strong feeling that donations would go far beyond the goal and I ran the idea of using the surplus donation to purchase items to help A Woman's Place as they continue their work to empower women and end domestic violence for all."
In total, the campaign raised $3,088.26, making it the committee's highest fundraising total of the fall and allowing SAAC to purchase 70 toys for the children of the families they selected.
"From brightening the lives of essential workers during their crazy shifts with care packages, to feeding families on Thanksgiving, and now taking part in Operation Santa so less-fortunate children can have a brighter holiday season, our student-athletes have truly gone the extra mile to make a positive impact in our communities," Student-Athlete Advisory Committee Advisor and head women's basketball coach
Rose Katz-Gobeli remarked.
Two members of the SAAC executive board, President
Lauren Dougherty and Vice President
Eva Ruppersberger, made their rounds throughout stores to fill shopping carts to the brim before tirelessly wrapping gifts in order to make it to the post office all in the same day.
"Hand-picking each item for each child felt personal and, truly, we wrapped each package with love and intention," Dougherty remarked. "Included in each family package were at least two holiday books. Eva and I are both elementary education majors, so we knew we had to add our own touch to the gifts."
"Putting smiles on the faces of families and their children we have never met before is the best feeling," Ruppersberger said. "This is the season of joy, gift giving, and families being together. While this year may look a little different, I hope that what SAAC was able to accomplish this fall touches many this holiday season."
Arcadia SAAC's three fundraising campaigns this fall raised over $6,550 for four different causes with plans to continue its efforts into the spring 2021 semester.
"The efforts of our Student-Athlete Advisory Committee since the beginning of the semester have been extraordinary," Katz-Gobeli continued. "In a difficult time where it would have been easy to make excuses and not organize community service, SAAC has risen to the challenge to make a difference."
