'Tis the Season to Give

When Sheila and Eddie's 13-year-old son Eric was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor, their world turned upside down. They had to move from Alabama to Durham, where Eric would receive treatment at Duke Children's Hospital for at least a year.

The family moved into the Ronald McDonald House of Durham, which provides physical and emotional support to families with seriously ill children.

These situations are horrible enough, but they can seem even worse when families go through them during the holiday season.

"Holidays don't mean anything to an illness," says Noreen Strong, executive director of Ronald McDonald House of Durham.

But through various community programs supported by Duke, such heavy burdens can be eased.

Strong works with the Ronald McDonald House families to create personalized wish lists. Volunteers many from the Duke community help prepare food and donate gifts to make holiday celebrations meaningful.

For the past several years, Duke Recruitment has been among several Duke offices whose staff contribute gifts or money to purchase items on the families' wish lists.

"Community service and volunteerism are key components to anyone's life business or personal," says Denise Motley-Johnston, the office's director. "What better group to bring joy to," she says of the Ronald McDonald House families.

Adds Strong: "These families cry that somebody they didn't know got them just what they needed for Christmas."

Others at Duke assist local families during the holidays through Project Share. For more than 20 years, Duke's Community Service Center (CSC) has partnered with the Volunteer Center of Durham and Durham's Department of Social Services to provide gifts to Durham families and individuals in need during the holiday season.

Last year, Project Share provided gifts for 382 individuals.

"I think back to the profiles we've had in the past, and oftentimes it's grandparents raising grandchildren, or single mothers or single fathers or blended households struggling to overcome layoffs or chronic illnesses or unplanned circumstances that are impacting them financially," says Domonique Redmond, assistant director of CSC. "The families don't want the children to feel those impacts, and this enables them to bring some joy into their lives during the holidays."

These two and other programs have become traditions for Duke individuals and offices that consider giving a way to embrace the holiday spirit while meeting local needs.

"If you look at what is inclusive and what different cultures celebrate at holiday time, the themes of gratitude and service are universal," says Monica Pallett, manager of Staff & Family Programs for Duke Human Resources.

Pallett's office organizes the university's faculty and staff holiday receptions, which annually draw thousands of individuals from across the Duke community. This year the parties will serve as a drop-off point for Toys and Tales, giving employees the chance to donate toys and books that will later be given to local children.

Senior Lydia Chen is the president of Duke's chapter of Toys and Tales. For the past several years around the holidays, the organization has purchased enough toys and books to distribute one of each to every child at Eastway Elementary School in Durham.

"The message is dual," says Chen. "The first is to give some holiday joy and have some fun. The purpose of the book is to encourage the students to read and do what we can to help increase the literacy rate."

The Duke students involved in Toys and Tales wrap and tag the gifts and then head to Eastway for the highlight of the effort -- a chance to play Santa Claus for a day.

"Every present has every child's name on it and they're organized by classroom, so when we get to go to the classroom and hand out the gifts to every child, it's really fun," Chen says. "Some of the lower grades will want us to sing ‘Jingle Bells,' and they're always super-excited to see us. That's definitely the best part."

The toy drive is part of the Duke-Durham Neighborhood Partnership, which also administers the new Doing Good in the Neighborhood giving campaign. This effort allows Duke employees to donate directly to local programs supported by the partnership and the Duke University Health System. The programs cover a range of service areas, from academic enrichment and youth development to community health.

The number of opportunities to engage in community service during the holidays and the palpable spirit of giving on campus don't surprise Pallett.

"That's what draws us to work in a place like Duke," she says. "I think people that are drawn to an environment that is values-driven and service-driven are also motivated intrinsically for service."