COURTNEY HONG
Staff Writer
Photo by Tiffany Bailey/Staff Photographer
It was beginning to look a lot like Christmas in the Pepperdine Volunteer Center and Campus Ministry office when finals week rolled around in December.
Hundreds of wrapped gifts for children in San Felipe and Tijuana were ready to be taken on the sixth annual Santa Run down to Mexico.
Santa Run, a joint effort between the Volunteer Center and Campus Ministry, annually spreads holiday cheer to orphans and impoverished children through presents and Christmas parties.
Weeks before the trip, students, faculty, staff members and administrators took ornaments off of paper Christmas trees around campus to purchase clothing, toiletries and toys for each child.
Lists of names, along with the children’s ages and gender, are sent before Thanksgiving by the churches and orphanages involved.
“We try to make each gift as complete as we can,” said senior Tiffany Bailey, a Santa Run coordinator.
A total of $9,000 worth of gifts was given to 204 children. Additionally, students and Sodexho donated $7,000 in meal points, which purchased rice, flour and beans for 60 families.
Two teams carpooled to Mexico on Dec. 17 to deliver the goods, 13 to San Felipe and 13 to Tijuana.
The San Felipe team threw a Christmas party for 60 children at the local Church of Christ. Christmas party activities included decorating upside down ice cream cones with cake icing and making crafts out of pipe cleaners.
“There’s a long-standing relationship with the town and church in San Felipe,” said Scott Lambert, campus minister. “It’s just really delightful.”
The San Felipe team returned to Los Angeles on the following day.
Photo by Tiffany Bailey/Staff Photographer
The first stop in Tijuana was Dorcas House orphanage, where 120 children were given gifts and participated in the Christmas party the team organized.
Junior Amanda Dudley, a Santa Run coordinator, was helping to unload presents, craft materials and a helium tank for balloons when some of the children ran and jumped on top of her.
“They were hanging off my arms,” Dudley said with a laugh. “The kids were just so overjoyed. They want to play with you more than anything.”
The second and final Tijuana stop was La Mesa Church of Christ.
“The power on the whole block went out right as we got there,” said junior Seth Allingham, a PVC intern. “It was weird, but kind of added to it too.”
Junior Jose Ojeda agreed.
“It was quite beautiful with the lights and candles they had up,” said Ojeda. “They still had a lot of fun.”
The Tijuana team arrived back in Los Angeles at 1 a.m.
“It was a good trip,” said Dudley. “There’s so much being done there. It gives me hope for the future.”
01-13-2005