December 05, 2016
Media Advisory -- Community Service Project
Children from Rainbow’s End Child Development Center at Southern Illinois University Carbondale are taking part in a two-phase community service project and reporters, photographers and news crews are welcome to cover their efforts to make the holiday season happier for local veterans.
The school-age children who attend Rainbow’s End have been busy for weeks making a wide assortment of craft items including wind chimes, candles, potholders and bracelets. They will be hosting a Santa’s Workshop sale on Dec. 8 and 9 to allow the younger Rainbow’s End children to purchase items as gifts for family and friends or for themselves.
The older children will then be use all proceeds of the sale to purchase special gifts for residents of the Illinois Veterans Home of Anna. The children will deliver the gifts to the veterans and share a holiday celebration with them on Dec. 21.
Members of the media are welcome to come to Rainbow’s End, located at 650 S. State St., immediately northeast of SIU’s Student Health Center in Carbondale, between 3:30 and 5:30 p.m. on Dec. 7 to obtain photographs, video or interviews with the children as they set up the Santa’s Workshop or during the same hours Dec. 8 or 9 as they will be selling items to the younger children.
In addition, members of the media are welcome to cover the holiday celebration at the Illinois Veterans Home in Anna at 10 a.m. on Dec. 21.
For more information, contact Sondra Harris, child development associate for Rainbow’s End, at 618/453-6358 or by email at sondrakay1966@gmail.com.
About 80 children attend Rainbow’s End, including seven who are school-age. Harris said the children participate in community service activities throughout the year. During the summer months they collected canned goods that they contributed to the Saluki Food Pantry.