ORAU Employees in the Spirit of Giving
Through a variety of initiatives, ORAU employees have given generously to those in need this holiday season.
Oak Ridge Holiday Bureau: Twenty-seven ORAU “elves” volunteered to help more than 200 of the area’s needy families select the right gifts for their children at the Oak Ridge Holiday Bureau. The bureau collects new and used toys all year long in order to offer them to area families in need at Christmastime.
ORAU employees Carla Philips, Dean Herrera, Jeffrey Johnson, and Eva Graves, took time out of their morning to volunteer for the Oak Ridge Holiday Bureau on Dec. 15.
John Tarleton Home for Children in Knoxville: ORAU employees helped ensure that kids from the John Tarleton Home for Children in Knoxville had a happy holiday. Several groups sponsored an Angel Tree, and invited employees companywide to participate. Of the 49 Angel Tree wishes, all were fulfilled and delivered to the Home.
Mission of Hope: ORAU employees donated food, clothing, hygiene items and toys as part of a companywide 2006 Mission of Hope drive. Mission of Hope is a ministry that provides year-round assistance, aid, resources and hope to poverty-stricken areas of rural Appalachia.
YWCA Battered Women's Shelter: One ORAU department held a holiday auction to help seven families at the YWCA Battered Women's Shelter. Staff members contributed to the auction by donating more than 65 items, including gift baskets, wreaths, crafts, tools, home furnishings, toys, as well as gift certificates and other merchandise solicited from local businesses. The auction raised $1,100, which was used to purchase clothing and wish list requests for the mothers and their children.
Stride (Arvada, Colo.): ORAU's Arvada team sponsored a family through “Stride,” a program that helps less fortunate families become self sufficient through temporary housing, education, child care assistance, job training and financial planning.