An initiative that started with roots in the Cobb County public school system has now turned into a Georgia Tech community tradition. Tech The Halls started in 2012 with a mission to create a long-standing tradition in the Atlanta community allowing underprivileged children to celebrate the holiday season with gifts and leaving them with a lasting inspiration to strive for a positive future.
“Our goal is to strengthen bonds between Georgia Tech students and the surrounding community and provide Georgia Tech’s students an opportunity to give back to the community by taking underprivileged children in the Atlanta area holiday shopping,” said Caroline Harvey, event chair of Tech The Halls. “This event allows underprivileged children a chance to celebrate the holidays in the same manner that those who are fortunate enough can experience. Sharing and receiving gifts during the holiday season is a privilege that many of these children have never been a part of, and Tech the Halls wants to give these children the same opportunity.
On Nov. 20, 140 Georgia Tech student mentors gathered to make the holidays special for 70 childrens. The college students were paired up with kids from the metro Atlanta area to be their mentee for the day, and they spent the day doing a variety of activities with their mentee including going on a holiday shopping spree at Target.
They also wrote letters to soldiers, noshed on cookies and sang karaoke, played trivia and participated in games such as Twister, four-square and more.
“My favorite part of the event is seeing connections being made between Georgia Tech student mentors and the students,” said Harvey, a junior majoring in business. “The year of effort and work that goes into making this one day possible doesn’t compare to the moment when you see the happiness the event brings to the children that attend. It really speaks to the impact that each of us can have on our community.”
Although the organization seeks Georgia Tech students for participation, local companies and individuals can consider sponsoring the annual event to impact more deserving children.
Since Tech the Halls was founded in 2012, the student-run organization has been able to impact the lives of over 350 children.
In other news: Operation Isaiah, the annual food drive hosted by Atlanta's Jewish community, surpassed its goal of donating more than one million pounds of food to the Atlanta Community Food Bank this year, its 26th year of efforts. The campaign is hosted during the Jewish High Holy Days beginning with Rosh Hashanah and ending at Yom Kippur. Approximately 30-40 synagogues and schools participate each year, and it is the Atlanta Community Food Bank's longest running food drive.
Information: techthehalls.gtorg.gatech.edu/index.html
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