The spirit of giving has spread across Abilene this holiday season during ACU’s first-ever Season of Caring.
The month-long service opportunity began Nov. 15 and has already raised more than $3,000 in cash donations. More than 200 students, faculty and staff have volunteered their time in a variety of ways, and 44 meals were delivered to low-income families whose children attend Taylor Elementary School.
“I think it’s been fantastic,” said Dr. Phil Schubert, president of the university and organizer of Season of Caring. “I’m proud that people see the importance and the need to be part of helping out.”
Schubert drove the 23-foot Season of Caring truck full of clothes, bedding, food, toys and household goods donated by the ACU community to Arrow Ford on Friday. The location was the designated drop-off site for Love and Care Ministry’s “Mission: Thanksgiving.”
Schubert, along with his family and his son’s little league team, returned later that day to help unload other donations from Abilene residents.
“We enjoyed doing that, and it was amazing to me how many people in the community chose to be a part of that,” Schubert said. “There was not ever a minute that went by that there was not a line of cars waiting to drop something off at Arrow Ford. It reminded me of what a great community Abilene, Texas, is.”
Mark Hewitt, founder and executive director of Love and Care Ministries, said partnering with ACU for Season of Caring is another way to get students involved with the organization.
“I appreciate ACU being part of Love and Care Ministries, reaching the poor and homeless, and not just through Season of Caring,” Hewitt said, “but through the whole year of what ACU does for us in this ministry.”
Giving even one present to one child who wouldn’t have one otherwise accomplishes a lot, Hewitt said.
Members of the ACU community are very active during this time of year, even beyond Season of Caring, said Nancy Coburn, director of ACU’s Service-Learning and Volunteer Resources. However, she said Season of Caring is a visible and easily accessible way for people in the ACU family to come together.
Because of the shared effort across campus, ACU has made a tremendous impact on the Abilene community and across ACU, Coburn said.
“Another thing that has been really fun to watch are the relationships that have been built between people on campus,” Coburn said. “Students have served alongside staff and faculty they didn’t know before. People have gotten to know other people that they wouldn’t have met in other ways and started building some relationships – including those of us on the planning team.”
Season of Caring isn’t over yet, though. Students, faculty and staff can continue donating toys and volunteer to wrap presents through Friday. Also, anyone who will be in Abilene after finals can help with Love and Care Ministry’s Christmas on the Streets program, which delivers toys to children.
Volunteers are also needed from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday to help take free family portraits for families in the Carver neighborhood.
Any student, faculty or staff member can support the Season of Caring in prayer by visiting the Prayer Room located in Mabee Business Building.
For more information, visit the Season of Caring table in the Brown Library or its facebook page, www.facebook.com/seasonofcaring.
