Charity work is their family’s holiday gift

Some families play board games together during the holidays. Jennifer Boyle’s family is a little different – instead of working with wooden Scrabble tiles, they work with people and charities in the community.

Boyle, a freshman at Eastern Washington University, has been home for winter break since December 6, staying with her mother and two younger siblings on Spokane’s North Side.

Boyle’s family has done charity work for many years. For as long as she can remember, they have participated in Operation Christmas Child, an annual project in which a family fills a shoebox with goodies for a girl or boy of a specific age.

The boxes are then sent to a central location and shipped all over the world.

Boyle’s family also has contributed to Angel Trees, which provides ornaments and gift boxes for children.

“Mom would always pick kids close to our age, then we would pick out everything we’d put in the gift box,” said Boyle.

Items generally included such things as school supplies and clothing as well as a small gift.

Boyle also has contributed to Adopt-a-Family through Avista Energy, where her mother works.

Boyle was active with high-school service projects as well. At Mead High School, she worked with Coats for Kids and assisted with the canned food drive.

Boyle’s volunteering goes beyond working with her family. At school, she recently adopted a family of four with her sorority through the Adopt-a-Family program. The Alpha Xi Delta members who participated each put in money from their own pockets to buy gifts for the family.

She has not worked with any other campus service organi-

zations yet because she’s in the midst of her freshman year and is still getting the hang of the college lifestyle. Over winter break however, Boyle intends to volunteer at a soup kitchen or at a shelter downtown in con-

junction with the First Church of Nazarene.

Boyle’s mother raised her and her younger sister and brother by herself, so living in a three-child, single-parent household has given her an idea of what hard times are like.

This is, in large part, why her family feels so drawn to volunteer work, she said.

“We do anything we can to help,” said Boyle. “Being able to help other people has made us realize how blessed we are.”

As for why more people don’t volunteer, Boyle thinks that generally they are either too busy or just don’t care.

If you want to help the community but don’t have the time or energy, consider making a donation to a local charity this Christmas season.

You could, for example, donate to The Spokesman-Review’s Christmas Fund to provide toys to underprivileged children.

While the need for donations is a year-round issue, it seems especially relevant during the winter months.

“There are a lot of people that need a little something extra to get them through the holidays,” said Boyle.