December 08, 2005

Media advisory – athletes deliver gifts

Some 50 Southern Illinois University Carbondale student-athletes representing each of the University's sports teams and Erika Lowery, wife of men's basketball coach Chris Lowery, will spread some holiday cheer Tuesday, Dec. 13, at SIUC's Head Start program, 1900 N. Illinois Ave.

The student-athletes' annual Christmas project this year focused on filling gift-wrapped shoe boxes with presents for the 170 tots enrolled at the Carbondale center. They will distribute these gifts at 2 p.m. in the center's gymnasium.

Immediately after, Lowery, honorary chair of the SIUC "Book in Every Home" drive, will go classroom to classroom to deliver two books to each child. The campaign, which kicked off in late October, aimed to collect enough books so that each of the 433 children in the seven area Head Start centers could own at least one.

Reporters and photographers wishing to cover the event should come at 1:45 p.m.