Assessing How We Define Diversity - Seattle University

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Alumni F O C U S profile Spirit of Giving O’Brien brothers spread goodwill during Christmas season photo by ANIL KAPAHI JWith the Forgotten Children’s Fund, brothers John (left) and Ed O’Brien bring holiday cheer to children and families in need. ohn and Ed O’Brien will always come true for hundreds of families in be known to Seattle University’s need in the Puget Sound region. faithful—and sports buffs—as the It all started in 1976 when a letter Dream Team. While it’s a moniker addressed to Santa from a boy named they earned for their athletic heroics, it Craig was mistakenly delivered to a restaurant in Seattle. The note read, in part: could just as easily apply to their philanthropy. Every Christmas Eve for the last Moma said you got lost last year and three decades, the twin brothers have couldn’t find your way to our house. We donned their Santa suits to make dreams wrilly mist you aspheshely my little sisters. Pleas come this year Santa. We are beaing very good…PS. don’t leav aney thing for dady becuse he isn’t hear anymore. The letter bore no return address, so Dick Francisco, the restaurant’s owner, enlisted the help of his FBI and police buddies to try to locate Craig. The boy was never found, but his letter inspired Francisco to create the Forgotten 32 | Alumni Focus
Children’s Fund to help provide a true Christmas for youngsters like the young letter writer. Soon after, Ed O’Brien was introduced to the organization through a friend, and on Christmas Eve 1977, he started making deliveries as one of the organization’s first Santas. His brother John would join him a year later. Since those early days, the number of families served by FCF’s Christmas program has increased 40-fold, and in recent years the organization has added to its repertoire a summer ranch program for disabled children. As the fund has grown, so, too, has the involvement of the O’Brien brothers. Today, John is president of FCF’s board and Ed is intimately involved in various phases of the operation. Their favorite part of it all is playing St. Nick every Christmas. Ed estimates that in the past 30-some years, he and John have each visited about 2,500 kids in 600 to 700 homes. Last year 50 Santas, covering King, Pierce, Snohomish, Chelan and Kitsap counties, and parts of Island County, joined them in spreading holiday cheer. But, as the O’Briens explain, the visit from Santa is just the beginning of the work the organization does. Behind the scenes is an elaborate year-round operation that relies almost exclusively on the goodwill of volunteers and donors. The organization squeezes maximum value out of its $400,000 annual budget. With the exception of two paid staff positions that were only recently added out of necessity, FCF is run completely by volunteers—1,000 in all. FCF’s real-life North Pole includes a volunteer-buyer who begins purchasing toys as early as January. The buyer also hunts down other off-season bargains, such as winter coats in the summertime. All the accumulated goods are stored in a local warehouse. “Everything is new,” says John, including bicycles. And assembly is required: “Seven guys come into the warehouse and spend the entire month of December putting the bikes together,” adds Ed. “Then we bring in youngsters to test-drive the bikes.” Each bike comes with a helmet. “There’s something magical about Santa. I’m going to do this until they put me in the ground.” John O’Brien Meanwhile, the letters keep pouring in. “Last year, we received 3,000,” says John. After the letters are read, volunteers call recipients to find out how many children live in the house and what their clothing sizes are. Once the Christmas lists have been made—and checked twice—volunteers walk through the warehouse, which is organized like a store, pluck the desired items from the shelves and wrap the gifts—more than 13,000 were prepared last year. Then comes the real fun. On Christmas Eve, teams of 10, including Santa and a supporting cast of elves, pick up their route maps and head out with their bundles. A head elf knocks on the door of each home, makes sure the children are present, and then motions to Santa and the other elves. Some gifts are presented to the family to be opened on the spot. Others are left behind to be opened later. “We try not to take up too much of their time,” says John. “It’s their Christmas, not ours.” While a photo is taken of Santa and the family, the elves discreetly place two boxes of food in the kitchen. “They often don’t realize we brought the food until we’re gone,” John says. It’s impossible for Santa to get in and out of each neighborhood without attracting some notice, so the teams always bring extra toys. John remembers being approached by a little girl on the street. She grabbed his right leg and said, “It’s OK, Santa.” “What’s OK?” John asked. “About the bicycle,” she said. “My daddy said there were no bicycles this year.” John called over to her father, who was standing nearby, and after a short conference and a quick signal to an elf in the van, the little girl had a bike. “Her dad broke into tears,” says John. “He chased the van, thanking us over and over again.” John and Ed estimate that almost 95 percent of their recipients are singleparent households. “We’re also seeing an increase in the number of grandparents who are raising children,” says Ed. The O’Brien brothers reflect the commitment to service many of our studentathletes make, says Athletic Director Bill Hogan. “They are wonderful examples of what Jesuit education is all about,” Hogan says. Playing the role of Santa is both “rewarding and heartbreaking,” Ed says. “For many of the families we visit, this is the best day of the year for them.” For John, the joy of seeing the looks on the youngsters’ faces never gets old. “I remember one little girl who was paralyzed, and it’s almost like she became alive when she saw Santa. There’s something magical about Santa,” John says. “I’m going to do this until they put me in the ground.” To learn more about the Forgotten Children’s Fund, visit www.forgottenchildrensfund.org. —Mike Thee SU Magazine Fall 2007 | 33
Page 1 and 2: FALL 2007 Connecting Seattle Univer
Page 3 and 4: Volume 31 • Issue Number 3 • Fa
Page 5 and 6: People PHOTO BY ANIL KAPAHI global
Page 7 and 8: my dissertation and start looking i
Page 9 and 10: PHOTO COURTESY OF LORENZO VIGIL WIT
Page 11 and 12: PHOTO BY ANIL KAPAHI CATCH MORRIS A
Page 13 and 14: fair trade In Good(s) Conscience SU
Page 15 and 16: Faculty R E S E A R C H Dating Pool
Page 17 and 18: topic was immigration reform garner
Page 19 and 20: Khaled Jaraysa, ’08, is providing
Page 21 and 22: Khaled Jaraysa with his Seattle hos
Page 23 and 24: Real diversity occurs when Jacob Di
Page 25 and 26: With diversity comes Monica Nixon,
Page 27 and 28: T r U E c R i M e Writer Pierce Cou
Page 29 and 30: ex-grunge rocker-turned-prosecutor.
Page 31 and 32: photo COURTESY OF MEG BEADE Volunte
Page 33: Alumni Events Monday-Wednesday, Dec
Page 37 and 38: Though she is a full-time staff mem
Page 39 and 40: class notes Richard Greiwe in 2006
Page 41 and 42: Belize trip Alumni are invited to e
Page 43 and 44: Emelissa Baluyot will serve as 05an
Page 45 and 46: Brigade (amphibious). He also serve
Page 47 and 48: the good word by pat o’leary, s.j

Assessing How We Define Diversity - Seattle University

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?