With many Campo students and faculty preparing for the end of the semester, the finals week schedules leave us drained, isolated, and unmotivated. With heads in textbooks and late night study sessions, we often see holidays as an opportunity for release rather than a time of reflection or giving back. Fortunately, Campo Interact Club’s project for the Bay Area Crisis Nursery gives us a chance to take a small break from studying and aid our community.
Interact Club is a Campo service club in partnership with the Moraga Rotary, a branch organization that aims to involve adults and elderly members of Moraga in local service projects. Led by senior Bhavana Kasalanati, she and the Interact Club work in tandem with Moraga Rotary to benefit both the Lamorinda and Contra Costa community.
This holiday season the Campo Interact Club is working for the Bay Area Crisis Nursery, a non-profit dedicated to preventing child abuse and neglect through family services. One of the ways the non-profit does this is through the Adopt a Family project. When asked about the project Kasalanati explained, “An adopt a family program [is where] families in need send [non-profit organizations] a wishlist of things [such as] supplies and gifts during the holiday season.” Groups such as Interact Club can then volunteer to ‘adopt’ the wishlists of these families and donate items pertaining to the list.
This year, Campo is supporting a family with two 14 year old girls. With items listed like books, CD players, bikes, and gift cards, Kasalanati feels that this variety of gifts gives the Campo community multiple opportunities to help out and connect with the family. “A lot of people are shopping right now,” she said. “…[If] you’re buying something for your grandma, you’re buying something for your cousin, then also [consider] buying something for this family in need.”
Reflecting on holiday acts of service and leading with compassion, Kasalanati considers her own privilege and what she believes she and the Lamorinda can do to help out those who are less fortunate. “The Adopt a Family program is supposed to be a way for us all to come together to support other members of our community and make them feel secure so that they’re able to get the joy of a holiday season,” she said. “Instead of [families in need] being forced to put their money towards gifts, they can put their money where it needs to go financially but still have the joy of the holidays.”
Donations for the Adopt a Family project are running until Dec. 12. Those interested in participating or donating items for the family can email Kasalanti at [email protected] or use the SignUp Genius link: signupgenius.com/go/10C0E4FACAA22A3FFC52-60727476-adopt
