House members meet in the freshmen cafeteria during SRT. The next House meeting will be Feb. 15

According to speaker of the House Neil Walker Simmons, Cabinet and Dance Marathon Executive Committee members will host a new event on Dec. 15 in the Freshmen Cafeteria called Santa’s Kickback for the Kids. After that, the same group of individuals will volunteer their time to wrap gifts in the annual Wrapping Drive, taking place in the Freshmen Cafeteria on Dec. 16, Dec. 22 and Dec. 23, from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., 3:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., respectively. All of the proceeds from both community events will go to Dance Marathon.

“The goal (of Santa’s Kickback for the Kids) is to get kids to walk home with a gift to give to people, in addition to get them into the high school and see the cause that this is for,” Simmons said,

Cabinet sponsor Sarah Wolff added and said, “It’s kind of a spinoff of our Trick-or-Treat event and our Easter Egg Hunt event. This is the first time we’re doing a holiday one. We’ll see how that goes, but we’re right now in the planning stages.”

After Santa’s Kickback for the Kids, Cabinet and Dance Marathon Executive Committee members will volunteer their time, wrapping gifts at the annual Wrapping Drive.

“(Cabinet and Dance Marathon Executive Committee members) will wrap the gifts, but House members and anyone who doesn’t like to wrap gifts can bring in gifts, and we wrap them. Just come to the Main Cafeteria (with your gifts), and you can even bring your own wrapping paper. You can either wait or go somewhere if you brought a lot of gifts and then we will let you know once your gifts are ready,” Simmons said.

With regards to the cost, to participate in Santa’s Kickback for the Kids, it will cost $5 because Cabinet members are anticipating higher expenses for the stations, some of which include making ornaments, frosting cookies, playing Christmas games and meeting Santa.

Wolff said, “(All of the money used to buy supplies) comes out of our account and comes out of, bottom line, the charity we’re going to support, which is the kids at Riley.”

On the other hand, the Wrapping Drive will be a donation-based community event.

“We just ask you (give) what you think is fair and what you’re able to financially, thinking about the kids who aren’t going to be home for Christmas,” Wolff said. “Holidays are generally a time of charitable giving, so we try to tie that in (with our community events).”