FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 19, 2002
FY03-03
Volunteers Play the Part of Santa at Holiday Bureau
OAK RIDGE, Tenn. – Ask any one of 30 Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) volunteers and they’ll tell you that Santa Claus gets a lot of help from the Oak Ridge Holiday Bureau.
On Dec. 10 and 11, volunteers helped distribute toys and other gifts to the area’s needy families at the Holiday Bureau. Volunteers escorted parents through a maze of booths at the Bureau as they selected just the right toys, games, dolls, stuffed animals, stocking stuffers, clothes, and even bicycles for each of their children for Christmas.
The Bureau, a non-profit organization, collects used toys year-round. Volunteers wash, repair, sort, and package toys as they come in. Donated money is used to buy one new gift for each child.
The Holiday Bureau was founded around 1945 when two World War II veterans saw the desperate need of families in the area. In 1971, the Holiday Bureau became an official charity.
Through this effort, a total of 170 families have gifts to give their children this year. Donations are welcome year-round at the Holiday Bureau. If you’d like to donate used toys, contact the Bureau at 483-7831.
The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) is a U.S. Department of Energy institute focusing on scientific initiatives to research health risks from occupational hazards, assess environmental cleanup, respond to radiation medical emergencies, support national security and emergency preparedness, and educate the next generation of scientists. ORISE is managed by Oak Ridge Associated Universities.