Adopt-A-Family: No child without a holiday

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No child without a holiday is the ultimate goal of Lehigh Athletics' Adopt-A-Family program.

The 16th Annual Adopt-A-Family wrapped up on Thursday evening as the Mountain Hawks gave their "adopted" families a holiday season to remember.

(12/5/2014) 16th Annual Adopt-A-Family

Every Lehigh team adopts a local underprivileged family and raises money, shops for and wraps gifts, all culminating with Thursday's event at Broughal Middle School.

"The personal connections you create with the families and kids makes the event so much fun," said senior Harley Abrams of men's golf. "You really get to associate directly with the kids and learn a little bit about their stories. They get to learn about your sport and your day-to-day lives."

Months of planning went into making Thursday night a big success.

"Hundreds of hours are put in by our student-athletes," said Abrams. "Adopt-A-Family is one of the first things Student-Athlete Council talks about at the beginning of the year and it's something we work on every week to make sure it goes smoothly and according to plan."

Adopt-A-Family is an opportunity for all 25 Lehigh teams to come together for one cause. The teams create personal connections with their families. Because of that, it's an event that the student-athletes genuinely enjoy and look forward to every year.

The first aspect of Adopt-A-Family is fundraising and raising funds to purchase gifts.

"A lot of student-athletes go back to their hometowns, highlight what they're doing for the local community and ask others if they'd be willing to contribute," said Abrams. "Several people in our local Bethlehem community often donate as well."

Student-athletes come to Lehigh from all ends of the country, and world, so the program has been far-reaching.

"You have to go far and wide, but it's really worthwhile," said Abrams. "All the student-athletes raise funds on their own and then all the money is pooled together. We decide the amount we can spend on each kid, based on what we raised. We make sure we're getting them winter coats, gloves, hats and all the things they need, and also want, for the holidays."

The teams receive lists featuring needs and wants, along with coat sizes, shoe sizes and more. The Mountain Hawks shopped for their families in early November and through shopping, the true spirit of Adopt-A-Family, and the holiday season, come to the forefront.

One example is with football senior Isaiah Campbell and juniors Matt Laub and LaQuan Lambert, who were shopping for their family. They weren't sure if a young girl from their adopted family would like a certain jacket, so they found a mother with her daughter and asked them, since she was comparable in age.

After the Lehigh teams shopped for their families, Community Relations coordinator Roseann Corsi got word that the softball team's adopted family was living in a shelter and needed essentials even more so than most. Several members of the softball team went back to shop later in the week.

"Immediately after Roseann found out about the situation of this family, we all knew that we had to go back and shop more," said junior Jessica Calvina. "Roseann is one of the most selfless people that we know. She has a big heart and it was easy to jump on board and follow her lead. You can't put into words all that she does for Adopt-A-Family and with her help, we knew that we could really make a difference."

The student-athletes bought outerwear like coats, hats, gloves and snow boots. They also bought sheets, blankets, pillows and towels.

"We really tried to focus on everyday needs as well as winter apparel," said Calvini.

The spirit and joy of Adopt-A-Family comes from a combination of aspects, including: working together as an athletic department, helping those in need and creating a personal connection with others.

"Once you hear a story like this you immediately become even more thankful and appreciative for what you have," said Calvini. "We are extremely fortunate to be a part of the Lehigh family, and we want to help give back to the community any way that we can, one family to another."

Lehigh Athletics hopes this program can be a catalyst for other schools and organizations to do something similar. No child should go without a holiday. Lehigh student-athletes have done their best over the last 16 years to help give local children holidays to remember, but the Mountain Hawks can't do it alone.

Just imagine if other athletic departments, professional teams and organizations, jumped on board and adopted local families. One day, we could reach a point where every child has a happy holiday season.

"We can connect with a number of members of the community, but not everyone," said Abrams. "There are so many kids who don't have the privileges and the opportunities that we have as Lehigh student-athletes."

"It would be awesome if something like Adopt-A-Family could catch on nationally," said Calvini. "The message of Adopt-A-Family is truly what the holidays are all about. Through this program, you can help give a family a holiday they didn't think was possible. You have the power to change a family's life. These families are the epitome of strength and perseverance, and Adopt-A-Family is a program that enables people to give back to those who deserve it most."

Lehigh University Athletics

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