By DANIELLE RUSH
A group of Indiana University Kokomo freshmen recently shipped 71 Christmas boxes to two military units serving in Afghanistan.
Carol Garber, the group’s instructor, said “Operation Stocking Stuffer” was organized by students as part of their freshman seminar.
They worked in small groups to research and present a service project, and the 20 students then voted for one to pursue.
“They had to come up with a topic they felt very passionate about,” Garber said, adding the students who came up with the project have participated in the military.
The packages were sent to a unit that includes Ezra Hunsuckler, an Indiana University Kokomo student who is currently deployed, Garber said. She added that the students felt a connection to him.
Garber said there are 22 men in Hunsuckler’s unit, and each received an individual box and letter. They also sent boxes to another unit in Afghanistan.
Students organized donation drop-off sites and wrote a grant to the IU Kokomo American Democracy Project to fund shipping, she said.
The goal was to send 72 boxes, she said, and they sent 71, which contained about 684 pounds of treats and supplies.
Garber said students learned more than just community service from completing the project.
“They definitely learned problem-solving, they learned commitment, they learned sharing, they learned responsibility. They all reported they felt they were much closer as a class,” she said. “It was an awesome experience.”
• Danielle Rush is the Kokomo Tribune education reporter. She can be reached at 765-454-8585 or danielle.rush@kokomotribune.com.
