Holiday drives a success

A flurry of giving by Techers last month resulted in successful drives for several nonprofit agencies—two of them local and one halfway around the world.

With about 2,000 books and 10 computers collected for a new library in Ethiopia, Career Development Center director Jerry Houser, who spearheaded the drive with the Alumni Association and the Caltech Y, is thanking the campus community for its support. The goal of 10,000 books and 15 computers, he said, will be reached by the end of January.

“Our Ethiopian partners are thrilled with the results and are very thankful for your assistance,” he said. Houser spoke with Badeg Bekele of Ethiopia’s International Leadership Institute, who expressed his gratitude to all who helped out.

The organization is building the library in Addis Ababa, the capital, and the donations will assist in gaining accreditation from the Ethiopian Ministry of Education, as well as help support the University of Ethiopia. Close to 200 students are currently in the institute’s academic leadership program, with several hundred more expected to enroll in a certificate program this summer. Many students are top leaders in government, industry, and nonprofit agencies.

“This program is already having a positive influence on the stability, quality, and productivity of the Ethiopian government and nongovernmental organizations, and is increasing many services to Ethiopian citizens,” Houser said. “I am proud that Caltech made such a generous contribution to this great program.”

Closer to home, gift drives for two agencies benefited numerous children. Caltech has helped with the Angel holiday program for five years, according to Betty McWilliams of the Foothill Unity Center. “And how you have helped!” she said. “The quality and level of gifts are always spectacular. Each time we picked up at Caltech, they filled the whole van with gifts.”

This year, campus community members sponsored 200 low-income children through Human Resources—a “huge increase over last year,” says Dlorah Gonzales of HR—and another 50 through a new program initiated by Carol Sosnowski in the Division of Engineering and Applied Science. With the Institute’s help, the center’s staff served 1,614 children from 938 families, plus additional children who signed up after the event.

McWilliams went on to praise several Techers who give their time to the center year-round: Ronae Brooks (Employee Relations), who first connected Caltech with the Angel program; Catherine May (Beckman Institute); and Lynda Wright and Vi O’Connor (Facilities Management). “All the volunteers from Caltech are wonderful,” McWilliams said. “They bring a positive attitude, caring hearts, and a willingness to help wherever needed. Thank you for helping make our job of fighting hunger easier.”

Haven House also got a big boost of presents and donations from the Caltech community, says Sandy Koceski, a senior assistant in the biology division who coordinated the drive. The shelter for families fleeing violent abusers can accommodate 36 people at a time.

“The facility does not keep records of how many presents are from Caltech, but I can tell you that this year we collected about 15 45-gallon bags full of gifts and over $800 in cash and checks from around campus. This was a very good year,” -Koceski says, adding that Techers have always shown their generosity in past drives.

The donated presents were handed out to children and their mothers at the shelter’s annual holiday party for current and former residents, Koceski says. About 150 people attended the event.

Koceski has helped organize the Haven House drive for the past 15 years. She first learned of the shelter through Lynn Boucher, who worked in Sponsored Research; Koceski then worked with Mary Torres, formerly of Sponsored Research.

The group of staffers who collected donations and guarded the drop boxes around campus this year includes Susan Davis of Humanities and Social Sciences; Mike Miranda of Biology; Kathy Kelly of Project Accounting; Chris Smith of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering; Patty Bateman of Purchasing Services; and Paul Koceski of Central Plant.
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