Colorado Mesa University is teaming up with Mesa County Workforce Center on coordinating the Adopt-A-Family gift drive. This program helps families who are struggling financially and may not have the extra money to put gifts under the Christmas tree for their children or who may not be able to provide other necessities during the holiday season.

Student Ambassador Connections Executive Emily Gray is coordinating this gift drive on behalf of CMU. Student Ambassadors are helping with gift drive, but do not get to choose the families involved. She explained how the process works. She said that on Oct. 26, an email was sent to all CMU staff and faculty explaining what the program was and encouraged them to sponsor a family. She sent a sign-up sheet with the email that was to be filled out by the department and then sent back to her if they had chosen to adopt a family. The deadline for choosing to sponsor a family was Nov. 9.

After she had the final numbers on how many families CMU was sponsoring, that information was sent over to Mesa County Workforce. “We have sponsored 31 families,” Gray said.

Shelley Gratton, who is the supervisor at Mesa County Workforce, is overseeing the entire program. On Nov. 15, Gratton will be sending over the names of the 31 specific families that CMU will be sponsoring this year. With those names will be a list of what the needs are for each family. These needs can be food, clothing, toys, miscellaneous household items, or other needs the families may have.

Once Gray has received the list, she will then delegate those names between the clubs and organizations that have chosen to sponsor a family.

On Dec. 7, the Student Ambassadors will be in the University Center from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. for the clubs and organizations to bring their gifts. They will collect the gifts and then wrap them. They will then have them all organized and ready for the families to come and pick them up the following day.

“Adopt a Family is so much more than just an opportunity to volunteer and give. No words can express the joy that sweeps over a family’s face when they see a pile of gifts with their name on it. I am blown away by this university’s generosity and heart to serve.,” Gray said.

Dec. 8 is when the families will officially receive their gifts. There will be Student Ambassadors helping with handing the gifts to each family throughout the day.