MOST OUTSTANDING PHILANTHROPIC EVENT NOMINEE
Ole Miss Vietnamese American Student Association
Operation Christmas Child Project
Provide a detailed description of the event and the population it served. Details MUST include: date of event, number of participants, program purpose (goals, objectives, etc.) and use of resources (finances, community support, etc.).
Operation Christmas child is a project organized annually by the Samaritan’s Purse at the end of the year. The goal is to provide children in poverty-stricken countries with Christmas presents so that they can take part in the holiday joy and spirit. Given that most of our members’ families were born in Vietnam, a third-world country, our internal vice president Tina Truong decided to undertake this project since many of us would’ve resonated with its mission.
During our third general meeting on October 31st, we introduced Operation Christmas Child to our members. We had our members fill shoeboxes with various essentials for a growing child: toys, clothes, school supplies, and hygiene products. To promote participation, we posted our graphic on social media & in GroupMe as well as sending reminders to our members. At our holiday social on November 17th, we collected 18 gift boxes, adding to the overall 198 million gift boxes sent out every year. 40 of our members contributed, and our boxes were sent everywhere around the world, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon, and the Central African Republic.
What efforts were used to motivate and involve the organization's members?
We incentivized our members to participate by offering both member and family points. At the end of the year, the ten members with the most points are rewarded with a dinner paid by OleVASA and every member in the family with the most points receives a gift card.
How did the organization overcome any challenges that arose while planning and implementing the event?
The main challenge that we faced was participation. Since this was our first time doing a project for Operation Christmas Child, we were uncertain of how many members would participate and make gift boxes. Accordingly, we made sure to send reminders to both our general GroupMe and individual family GroupMes.