Mary Denise Parrish

Please add this opportunity to the listings: Angel Tree Toy Drive
About 30 employees with Philanthropy& Alumni Engagement spent four hours at the Angel Tree toy drive on Thursday, Dec. 19, from 8 a.m. to noon. I helped pull boxes for families during pickup, as well as breaking down boxes and clearing out the classrooms during morning distribution.

Assembled boxes, packed boxes with food items, and readied them for distribution/pick up at Oak Hall for members of our AU Community who needed groceries and similar resources in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.

Enjoyed working in the warehouse with Stephen Wertz, Gia Johnson, Ingrid Tutt and several others as we sorted donated groceries and cleaning products to distribute to members of our AU Community who were in need during the Hurricane Helene aftermath.

Since I helped with seating, I was allowed to leave a bit early ... after the keynote speaker.

Stayed to help clean up and dropped extra bags at the Marriott before going home.

Maggie was a great site leader. I enjoyed meeting the families, students and volunteers, and there was great excitement all around.

I served as a volunteer counselor at Camp Rainbow for pediatric cancer patients and siblings. The camp is held at the Family Y Camp Lakeside in Lincolnton, Georgia, at Lake Thurmond. From sunup to sundown we supervised and participated with children of various ages in games and activities from archery and climbing to canoeing and swimming. This was my second year, and I was a counselor for the teen girls. The commitment began on Saturday, June 3, and ended on Friday, June 9. We slept in the cabins onsite at the camp. It was exhilarating and exhausting, but such a rewarding investment in the lives of these kids.