Ross Medical Education Center in Johnson City, Tennessee loves getting into the holiday spirit. One of their favorite ways to do that is through giving to others. In preparation for this holiday season, students in the afternoon and evening Medical Assistant classes in Johnson City brought items in for both boys and girls of three different age groups. They then got to work packing shoe boxes with Operation Christmas Child and enjoyed every moment of it.
Operation Christmas Child starts with efforts from local families in communities all across the country, and it is a great opportunity for families to teach their children about the value of giving back to those less fortunate. After the shoeboxes have been packed, they can be dropped off at any one of the collection sites, usually a local participating church in the community. Shoeboxes are then shipped to distribution centers, where they are then shipped to over 100 countries all over the world, where community leaders host outreach events to share the donated gifts with children in need.
Since 1970, Samaritan’s Purse has worked in communities around the world to effect positive change in communities, working to meet the needs of victims of war, poverty, natural disasters, disease, and famine. As a non-denominational, evangelical Christian organization, Samaritan’s Purse’s purpose is to provide not just physical aid to communities in need, but also spiritual aid to hurting people around the world. The organization serves worldwide to help people and promote the gospel.
The students at Ross thoroughly enjoyed being a part of this initiative hosted by this incredible organization. As they packed their shoe boxes, they thought about the children that would receive their gifts. The students hope that these items serve as a reminder to their recipients this holiday season that they are thought of and cared about. Afternoon student Brooke Acker said, “I like helping with the shoe boxes knowing that I can help a child have a better Christmas.” Many other Ross students shared similar sentiments and plan to continue doing this to help those in need in years to come.