Tonight is Christmas Eve, for many one of the most enjoyable evenings of the year. Apart from spending Christmas with your family, for most people it also means thinking more about their fellow man. Christmas is a time to do good for others, like inviting someone to join you at home, preparing a meal for them and donating warm clothes.
To put these lovely people in the spotlight, I spoke with Leae. Leae moved to Maastricht to study the master ‘Public Policy and Human Development’. As a citizen of the world, she was born in South Korea and moved to the U.S. by herself since the 5th grade. So far, she’s loving Europe.
What are you undertaking to bring more joy into the world this Christmas?
Since all the Christmas lights are up, it reminded me that not every child is going to be enjoying the holidays the same. Also, I have been donating toys to “Toys for Tots” when I studied in the U.S. around this time of the season so I thought it would have been nice to have something like that to spread the joy!
What does donating toys exactly entail?
I emailed Serve the City Maastricht, which is a local organization to help people through tough times. I wanted to see if they would accept and distribute the toys that I planned on collecting to the children who want them. When they gave me green light, I made a short video introducing Serve the City Maastricht. Then, I made a flyer to post on Instagram stories and asked my friends to share it on theirs as well. Mostly, I bring it up to (and bug) my friends whenever I get an opportunity!
After I collect the toys, I went to their office to drop them off so from there on, they will be giving them out to children! I hope I made children around Maastricht happy! Especially those who were not expecting such great toys that some of my colleagues donated :).
How are you spending your Christmas?
I am currently visiting some friends in London because I’ve never been there!
Do you have any tips that may be inspiring for students who would also like to make an impact around Maastricht?
Think about how much we love holidays and gift exchanges with your loved ones. That is a privilege that we take as granted. It only takes a couple of hours in your year to make so many people happy! The toys may not mean much to us but it means a lot for some families around us. It took maybe 20 minutes for the video, 10 minutes to make a flyer, and 30 minutes to donate so you can do it too 🙂 !
