UMW students and Center for Community Engagement Director Sarah Dewees join Santa and a preschool class at the Walker-Grant Center in Fredericksburg for UMW’s annual gift box delivery. Photo by K Pearlman Photography.
University of Mary Washington sophomore Lauren Spagnuolo knew the morning would be memorable, but she didn’t anticipate just how special it would be. Moments after arriving at Fredericksburg’s Walker-Grant Center, the psychology major found herself on the floor beside local preschoolers as they opened brightly wrapped gift boxes filled with toys, art supplies, hats and gloves, toothbrushes and more.
One preschooler hugged a new teddy bear. Others held up Play-Doh and Hot Wheels cars, and squealed with delight over favorites like Bluey, Sonic and Barbie. The joyful scene marked the culmination of UMW’s annual Gift Box Drive, a decades-long service tradition coordinated by Community Outreach and Resources (COAR), part of the University’s Center for Community Engagement.
Spagnuolo, who also minors in disability studies, spent the semester staffing information tables, collecting donations and explaining the project to fellow students. “The experience was really gratifying,” she said. “I loved the holiday spirit of it all. The wrapping party was great, tabling was fun and getting to help the kids open their boxes made everything come full circle.”
Mary Washington’s campus community filled 300 boxes this year for children enrolled in Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania’s Head Start and Virginia Preschool Initiative programs. COAR student leaders guided every step of the process, from planning the wrapping party – which drew more than 70 student volunteers — to sorting and checking the boxes before delivery.
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