It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and Drury students have many chances to get their fill of holiday cheer this season, no matter what holiday they celebrate.

Photo via unsplash.com.

Boyd Santa Program

The holidays are an expensive time for all families, and many in the community need assistance during this time of year. One of the programs that offers assistance in Springfield is the Boyd Santa program, which gives families the help they need during the holidays.

Drury professor Brian Shipman started the Boyd Santa program in 2007. Families that have been chosen to participate in the program fill out a form with information about their clothing sizes and the toys their children want. Several Drury departments participate and work directly with the families they are helping.

“Many times DU Santas will also supply a Christmas meal or pay a utility bill,” Shipman explained. “Its all up to the department. Some adopted families have one to two kids, and some can be as large as eight to 10 because families living in poverty often share housing.”

Each department goes shopping, wraps the gifts and delivers them to the family they adopted directly.

“Each year we have about a dozen departments participate, reaching between 30 and 50 children. Drury Women’s Auxiliary donates cash and toys for this program each year, and we use the cash to buy about 10 turkey dinners for the families,” Shipman said.

Anyone can donate toys or money. The program starts during Thanksgiving and runs through Dec. 24, closing off donations then.

Graphic via Drury’s SUB.

Events on campus

The greatly anticipated holidays are almost here, and with them come the perfect opportunity to enjoy one of the Midwest’s favorite ways to celebrate this weekend.

Silver Dollar City during the holiday season is a must-do for every local. Drury’s Student Union Board (SUB) started selling tickets at lunch on Monday, Nov. 26 for the discounted price of $15. The tickets are for Dec. 1 and Dec. 8. They are on a first come, first served basis, so take advantage of this great deal while it lasts.

Other anticipated campus events include the Hanging of the Greens ornament painting tonight, Nov. 30, at 6 p.m. in the Hoblit Suite. The ornaments will be used to decorate SUB’s tree on Drury Lane. The official Hanging of the Greens takes place on Tuesday, Dec. 4 on Drury Lane at 4 p.m.

To check out more upcoming events, follow Drury’s Student Union Board on Twitter at @SUBatDrury.

Written by Kelli Volonte.