Sub-for-Santa Helps Needy Families

PROVO, Utah – Dec 1, 2011 – They may not have snowy white beards or don red suits, but Marriott School of Management students and faculty are still finding ways to brighten Christmas for local children. Through the Sub-for-Santa project, sponsored by United Way and the Marriott School Student Council, more than 100 needy families in Utah County will receive gifts this holiday season.

"One of the main goals of the student council is to encourage selfless service," says Ethan Choi, Marriott School Student Council president and a senior in accounting from Sydney, Australia. "Students do a great job of serving and mentoring one another, but we also strive to expand our influence beyond the school. Sub-for-Santa is one way to do that."

The annual Sub-for-Santa project, previously known as the Angel Tree, works with United Way to identify families with the highest need. Through the program, each child in the family receives five gifts ranging from clothing to books. According to Choi, the project is a good way to get in the Christmas spirit and to help the community.

"Buying a gift and putting it under a Christmas tree is a tangible way for students to contribute to the community and to make a difference in a child's life," Choi says.

Last year United Way recognized the Marriott School for collecting the most items out of any Utah County organization by sponsoring 145 children with 725 gifts. This year the student council hopes to surpass that number.

To encourage more donations, the project has a new custom website where students, faculty and staff can select which child to sponsor. The site includes details about the child's age and desired gifts, such as clothing size or a book title. Purchased gifts are then turned in at the Sub-for-Santa booth on the first floor of the Tanner Building.

"I'm thrilled with the website because it enables us to help these families even more by tracking data, accessing potential sponsors outside of school hours and reaching people who may never wander by our booth," says Talia Strong, Marriott School Student Council service director and a second-year MPA student from Farmington Hills, Mich. "We are excited to see how many gifts faculty, staff and students sponsor this year under the new system."

Gifts will be accepted for Sub-for-Santa Nov. 28 – Dec. 7. Interested sponsors can access the project website at marriottstudent.com/subforsanta.  

The Marriott School is located at Brigham Young University, the largest privately owned, church-sponsored university in the United States. The school has nationally recognized programs in accounting, business management, public management, information systems and entrepreneurship. The school's mission is to prepare men and women of faith, character and professional ability for positions of leadership throughout the world. Approximately 3,000 students are enrolled in the Marriott School's graduate and undergraduate programs.