Springfield College Campus Community Helps Make Adopt-A-Family Program a Huge Success

The Springfield College Office of Spiritual Life hosted its 15th annual adopt-a-family program for the holiday season. Members of the campus community purchased gifts for 20 families that are part of the Teen Parent Program, which is part of the Open Pantry Community Services, Inc. located in Springfield. Members of the Teen Parent Program will be picking up the gifts on Thursday, Dec. 17 at 8:30 a.m. in the Flynn Campus Union.

Members of the Springfield College campus community were able to participate in this special program either as an individual or as part of a group. Faculty, staff, students, clubs and athletic teams throughout the campus collaborated in purchasing gifts for Teen Parent Program families with the office of Spiritual Life assisting in collecting and matching the gifts with the appropriate families. Gifts included gift cards, food donations, clothing, and toys.

The Spiritual Life Center would like to thank the Springfield College community members who took the time to share gifts offered intentionally for each family member; the generosity of spirit was evident in the excitement around sponsoring a family and in the amount of gifts received.

The Teen Parent Program is a residential program dedicated to providing teenage parents and their children a safe place to live while also seeking to bridge access to resources, life skills, and the development of achievable, long-term self-sufficiency goals.

Since 1885, the College’s mission of educating young people in spirit, mind and body for leadership in service to others has included community service. The College’s surrounding community complements classroom learning and provides students with real-world opportunities to experience doing the kinds of things they might do professionally.

Community service is not just an extracurricular activity at the College. It is integrated into the curriculum through internships at schools and nonprofit agencies and put into action through campus-wide initiatives, such as Humanics in Action Day and service-oriented clubs.

By working with the city, its community organizations, and their leaders, the College provides the necessary support that ensures the growth and development so crucial to the future of the City of Springfield and its neighboring communities.