Circle K brings smiles to Baltimore schools

Children all over the world eagerly anticipate Christmas with hopes of receiving their favorite toy from Santa Claus on Dec. 25. A lot of us enjoy the privilege of giving and receiving gifts for the holidays; however, the majority of the children at the Dr. Rayner Browne Elementary School, in one of the poorest areas of the city, cannot look forward to Christmas day with the same excitement. This is where Circle K, a volunteer community service organization here at Hopkins, comes in.

This is the third consecutive year that Circle K has assumed the role of Santa to provide each of the 210 students at the school with the gift of their choice. After raising over $3,000, they buy, sort, wrap and deliver gifts at a school-wide assembly in late December, where they also read and act out a children's book.

The project, "Bring a Smile to a Child," has had huge success in the past and provides great joy for the children living in such a poverty-stricken area. "The members of JHU Circle K feel that holiday gifts are important part of American culture and make people feel happy and part of society. Consequently, we want to ensure that each child has the experience of receiving something that they wish for," president of Circle K, Kara Pappas said.

Fundraising is obviously an extremely important aspect of the program: Without donations, the operation would not be possible. The leaders explained, "The first step is fundraising, which occurs from October to December. Thus far, we have been grateful to receive a generous grant from the France-Merrick Foundation. In addition, we have put up change cups at locations around campus (particularly The Depot and Starbucks) and written letters to local toy stores." On-campus events, such as "Photos with Santa" with John Bader, dean of academic programs and advising, and David Draper dressed as Santa Claus on Dec. 4 and Dec. 7 at Levering and Nolan's, respectively, play a large role in the fundraising as well.

The leaders continued to explain the process. "We traveled to Wal-Mart to buy all 210 gifts on Dec. 2 and are going to wrap them on Wednesday, Dec. 13. We will be delivering the gifts on Dec. 19 at Dr. Rayner Browne." On the day of the assembly the group will dress up as Santa's elves and act out the holiday story, Olive, the Other Reindeer.

Although the project involves a lot of work for all of Circle K, the effort is completely fulfilling. "Watching the smiles spread across the children's faces when they realize that yes, all of those gifts are for them, makes it all worth it," Pappas said.

Working on this project has enlightened the members of the organization to the fact that in areas of Baltimore City "many of the children's parents do not consider school a priority; they move frequently and do not encourage their children to attend class," Pappas said.

So keep your eyes open around campus in order to contribute to this very good cause and be able to "Bring a Smile to a Child" for the holidays. Participation would allow these children to enjoy the same privileges that the rest of us have, for at least this part of the year.

For more information on Circle K or to contact members of the organization visit: http://www.jhu.edu/circle-k/.