The holidays are a time of togetherness and giving back, and one University sorority found a way to give back to children across the world.
The Eta Kappa chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. collected 181 Christmas boxes for children in Haiti as part of Operation Christmas Child.
Along with Southern University’s Beta Psi chapter, the Eta Kappa chapter collected the boxes to benefit children in Haiti affected by the devastating flooding caused by Hurricane Matthew in October.
Eta Kappa president kinesiology senior Kiana Collins said the purpose of their organization is to serve all mankind.
“Donating toys to children for Christmas is definitely something that is a big service,” Collins said.
Every sorority member was asked to fill at least one shoe box, which were collected from Florida Boulevard Baptist Church, and.
Collins said even though the children ultimately benefited from the Operation Christmas Child project, it has also helped her put her own life into perspective.
“It made me give back despite trying to focus on finals and everything I have going on in my life,” she said. “I realized that other people are going through way more than I am, and I can help them out.”
The sorority filled the red and green shoe boxes with items such as dolls, coloring books, socks and washcloths.
Mass communication sophomore and AKA Global Impact Chair Angel Neal introduced the charitable project to her sorority.
Neal said over the past five years, she has participated in the project with her family in Michigan, and she wanted to share the experience with her sorority sisters.
“Seeing what it means to those children is what made me be so adamant about my chapter doing this,” Neal said.
Neal said she hopes her sorority can participate in the Operation Christmas Child project annually.
“It’s an annual thing for my family, so I hope that as the chapter gets bigger on campus, it will become an annual event that we can share with other Panhellenics and National Pan-hellenics ,” she said.
Psychology sophomore and sorority member Lexus Andry said she was thrilled when she heard about the idea.
“It’s not very hard to find things that are easily accessible to give back to kids for Christmas,” she said. “It doesn’t take much to give to others.”