Dec. 6, 2005

Tis the Season for Sharing

This year’s University-wide Holiday Party is scheduled for Dec. 13 in the Marvin Center’s 3rd floor Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Conference Center, from 2–4:30 pm. In a year that saw a deadly tsunami devastate villages along the Indian Ocean, earthquakes rock Central Asia, and hurricanes pound the Gulf Coast and the Caribbean, this year’s theme “Tis the Season for Sharing,” seems more than appropriate.

The party is a great opportunity for faculty and staff to visit and exchange holiday greetings, but there is a serious side to the annual event. Behind the good food, spirited entertainment, and wonderful door prizes, the GW community has made a significant impact on the lives of people in the Washington area over the past 16 years. Beginning with greeting cards and holiday wishes for area seniors and patients at the GW Hospital, efforts have expanded to include annual clothing and canned food drives as well as other seasonal traditions. Departments are encouraged to participate in the adopt-a-family program, collecting food and gifts for the members of designated families.

Last year University departments helped to make the holidays a little brighter for 96 area families. GW also continues its participation in the Marine Corps annual Toys-for-Tots drive, collecting gifts for needy children. And the University will be collecting contributions to the Faculty/Staff DC Scholarship Fund, making the dream of a college education come true for a DC resident.

This year the University will add blood donation to the list of opportunities for giving. Typically, blood donations drastically decrease during the holiday season, but the need for blood increases. The American Red Cross joins with GW’s School of Public Health and Health Services to sponsor the blood drive on Dec 13 from 8:30 am–1:30 pm in the Marvin Center, Room 405. To pre-register for the blood drive donors should e-mail Mallory Boyd at mallory@gwu.edu, or donors may register in person at the Marvin Center 1st floor ( from 11 am–2 pm) or Ross Hall, 1st floor (3–5:30 pm) on Dec 7, 8, or 12.

Send feedback to: bygeorge@gwu.edu