Like many children, Imira, a third-grade student at St. Ignatius Elementary School, wrote a letter to Santa this year:
"Dear Santa, I have been a good girl... I want a Bratz Doll or a Baby Born."
And this year, her letter will hopefully be answered -- by a Penn student.
Wednesday evening, volunteers and members of the Penn Newman Council, which organizes events for Penn's Catholic community, gathered in the basement of the Penn Newman Center to organize this year's Operation Santa Claus.
The event, which has been going on at Penn since 1995, is part of a citywide operation that distributes gifts to area elementary school children. Donors are asked to take a letter, provide their contact information and fulfill the child's request as closely as possible.
Students are encouraged to spend anywhere between $12 and $20 on the gifts.
The operation at Penn is completely student-run. In past years, the event received a donation of toys from Mattel, which served as backup gifts for instances when donors didn't follow through.
But last year the council was informed that Mattel was not planning to continue this donation.
Although this is the first year without the donation, "we are not freaking out about it," Penn Newman President and College senior Anne McKnight said, adding that "we usually give away 95 percent of the letters."
The Newman Council has received 385 letters from students at St. Ignatius and Wilson elementary schools, with footballs and Bratz dolls among the popular requests this year.
So far, the Penn community has been receptive, with organizations such as the Penn Band and Sigma Kappa sorority already taking letters.
This past Wednesday, council members checked to see that each student provided a letter, and made lists for those whose letters were missing.
They plan to distribute letters at all the mass services at St. Agatha-St. James Church, through listservs and by word of mouth.
"Everyone is welcome to help," McKnight said, noting that "even Tzedek Hillel offered to help with helping wrap gifts."
"We expect to be able to distribute all 385 letters," McKnight said, adding that they would like to do so by Thanksgiving.
This year, "we are hoping that we can get a larger participation by giving the letters out earlier," McKnight said, explaining that this would allow students more time to shop and return the gifts.
College junior and Newman Council member Kristina Go added that she is "really excited to see the kids' reaction," and that the two schools have been "really supportive" of the program.
Gifts must be brought to the Newman Center by Dec. 5 for the St. Ignatius School and Dec. 12 for the Wilson School.
Those interested are invited to attend a Christmas party at St. Ignatius on Dec. 10, where the gifts will be distributed.
It is "really great to see the Penn community coming together to support their neighbors," McKnight said.
