Volunteers from Campbell Christian organizations the Baptist Student Union (BSU) and Campus Crusade for Christ distributed presents to the children in the Christian Activity Center (CAC) in St. Louis, Mo., Dec. 11-15. CAC, an organization that nurtures inner-city children through after-school programs, has a special Adopt-a-Child program at Christmas through which individuals and churches provide presents for as many as 700 children who attend the center.BSU Programs Coordinator Leah Anderson; Sarah Whittenton, Campus Crusade Strategic Operations co-chair; Mary Kaylor, Residence Life graduate assistant; Chad Reed, Campus Ministry graduate assistant; and Kelly Rhodes, Campus Ministry intern, participated in the trip. This is the first time students from the two organizations have collaborated on a mission project, according to Campus Minister Faithe Beam.”Our days at the Center were spent assembling bicycles, alphabetizing bags of presents, wrapping gifts and helping parents and guardians who were picking up gifts get the presents to their cars or homes,” said Rhodes. “One 18 year-old received a computer for her first semester of college.”Rhodes added that while Reed became a master at assembling bicycles, she and the others tried out many different roles to gain a comprehensive understanding of how the whole Adopt-a-Child program works.”The Center has become a beacon of light in a very dark place for children to be raised,” Rhodes said. “At the time of the year when we celebrate the birth of Christ, the Light of the World, it was well worth the trip to be a tiny part of bringing that light to others.”Photo Copy: From left, Campbell students Kelly Rhodes, Campus Ministry intern, and Sarah Whittenton, Campus Crusade for Christ Strategic Operations co-chair, assemble a Dora the Explorer bike.
Campbell students play Santa Claus in St. Louis