Adelphi’s Circle K
carols for
families in need
For the fifth consecutive year through the Holiday Angels outreach program, Adelphi University’s Circle K will make Christmas a reality for a family who would otherwise go without. The group has gone on three outings thus far during which they went house-by-house, caroling for donations.
For each caroling outing, a group of six or seven volunteers take time out of studying for finals to sing to residents in the neighborhoods surrounding Adelphi’s campus.
They embark on their melodic missions, songbook in hand, to grace each house with a spirited tune. If little ears are among the listeners, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” is a typical encore piece requested.
“It’s so fun to see all the kids’ faces light up that we carol to,” said Circle K President Sophie Conti. “This is one of our most fun [events] because you get to greet a lot of people and bring a lot of spirit to the people we carol to, and then ultimately we’re helping a family have a really good Christmas too.”
On Dec. 5, the new a cappella group on campus, Paws and Rewind, added harmony to the evening of caroling as they accompanied the Circle K members.
Conti has participated each of her four years at Adelphi. This is her second year on the executive board of the club. The idea for this project, their most interactive service project involving the community of Garden City, came from a Halloween trick-or-treat event through which Circle K raised funds for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
The Holiday Angels, a local outreach program, assigns participating volunteers like Circle K to a family depending on the amount of funds the group anticipates they will make. Circle K connected with the outreach program five years ago through club member Lauren Sack.
Sack’s family created the program in 2003 working with the department of social services and local school district social workers. Last year, Circle K was able to support the Christmas wish lists of two Long Island families. This year, however, the group is supporting one family of four. They anticipate raising about $800, but have only reached about half that after three caroling outings. They will deliver the gifts to Holiday Angels on Dec. 19.
“It’s really good to know that we’re in a position where we really can help others who need it,” said Sophie Conti. “This is what we do. It’s normal for us to go out and spend time raising money and helping these other people.”
