The holidays are a time for giving, and at Colorado Mesa University, that commitment shows up year after year through meaningful efforts to support the Grand Junction community.
One of the university’s longest-running holiday traditions is the Adopt-a-Family initiative led by the Admissions Office. Since 2013, campus offices have come together each December to sponsor local families in need, providing gifts, clothing and supplies during the holiday season. This year marked a milestone for the program, with CMU adopting 32 families.
“It was so rewarding. We filled the entire welcome center, and the residence life bins were just overflowing with gifts. We had all our ambassadors in there, and they welcomed the families in and took all the gifts out to their cars,” said Manager of Admissions Ambassadors and Student Experience Alisa Walker. “It’s a cool experience to see that many families supported in this.”
In addition to adopting families, the initiative expanded this year to include foster youth. In total, departments adopted 21 foster youth and young adults who were aging out of the foster care system. These students often receive limited support during the holidays, and the effort provided them with gifts tailored to their needs and interests.
"We learned that a majority of the foster youth and young adults we were given were CMU students, so we were able to give back to CMU students who were either in foster care or are aging out of it," said Walker.
While Adopt-a-Family was the pillar of CMU’s holiday giving, it was part of a broader culture of service across campus. Students, faculty and staff participated in the Gobble Wobble 5K in November to support The Pantry, CMU’s on-campus food bank. Athletics hosted coat and toy drives during home men’s and women’s basketball games, the Accounting Club collected toys for local children and Tomlinson Library’s Mitten Tree collected winter clothing for community members in need.
This year, CMU’s custodial night crew also made an impact by organizing their own food drive and donating several boxes of food to The Pantry. The effort was entirely staff-led and supported students in need.
Together, these efforts highlight what the holiday season looks like at CMU, with members of campus living out the university’s value of love. During a season centered on generosity, the Maverick community continues to show that care, compassion and connection are at the heart of CMU.