Thanks CHAMPS For Making Christmas Special to Some Deserving Young People
BOB STARKEY (9-6-09):
Each Christmas season, the Shaquille O'Neal CHAMPS Life/Skills Program puts on "Christmas with the Tigers." Mike Mallet and his staff do an amazing job of putting this together and I hope you read the article below to understand what this project is all about. From our end, Mike and his staff provide our team with a child and wish list for Christmas. Our players then pool their own money and purchase the gifts. Mike and his staff then throw a beautiful Christmas party for all the teams to present their children with the presents. This year our team went above and beyond and purchased everything on the list including clothes, toys and a bike. Our team was definitely in the Christmas spirit in making sure our honored guest, Chantell Johnson had a great Christmas. Our hats our off to Mike, Jade Jenkins and everyone that makes this special event happen!
by Jesse Delerno, Student Assistant SID
As the holiday season approaches, many parents in the Baton Rouge community will start dashing to local toy stores and shopping malls in search of presents to pack underneath the Christmas tree for their children. But, not all families will be fortunate enough to provide gifts for their kids. However, each year all 20 LSU sports teams come together for CHAMPS’ annual ‘Christmas with the Tigers’ event to bring joy to underprivileged children who may not have the opportunity to open gifts on Christmas morning. Each squad adopts a child, buys presents off his or her wish list and gives them to the child at the function, which will be held Tuesday, Dec. 1 at 7 p.m. (CST) in the Bo Campbell Auditorium. LSU Athletics began hosting a charitable Christmas event more than 10 years ago when current Associate Athletic Director for Student Services Miriam Segar worked with the CHAMPS/Life Skills program, and it continues to flourish under the leadership of Director of Student Affairs Mike Mallet. “Miriam started this event back when she was with the CHAMPS program,” Mallet said. “They used to go to various places (to host the event), but when I took over, I decided we could have something here since we have the Auditorium where it wouldn’t put a lot of strain on the kids. All of the people from the SAAC community said let’s do it here, and we just called it ‘Christmas with the Tigers.’” Mallet and his staff work closely each year with a different charity that locates less fortunate families who are in need of help during the holiday season. This year his office is working with local group, Society St. Vincent de Paul and its homeless shelter. But, the CHAMPS director believes the key to the event’s continued success is the contributions of the student-athletes who he encourages to embrace the spirit of giving. “It’s a very joyous occasion and also a very fulfilling one, especially when you get young people involved so they can understand the thing about giving,” Mallet added. “One of the things I tell a lot of these guys is that they owe it to themselves to do something for the community. The community supports them in more ways than they think.” Mallet has his fair share of memorable moments from the past few years. He recalled one occasion when a four-year-old girl was so happy to be receiving a bicycle, she began weeping and riding it across the stage. In his mind, seeing such raw emotions and signs of jubilance are what make Christmas with the Tigers so special. “You see parents with a smile on their faces,” Mallet said. “You see the people who are responsible for these families, and they are very appreciative. They know the joys that these young people have, especially when they are in a shelter and don’t have anything. As sad as it may seem, this is one occasion that they all just have a good time.”
by Jesse Delerno, Student Assistant SID
As the holiday season approaches, many parents in the Baton Rouge community will start dashing to local toy stores and shopping malls in search of presents to pack underneath the Christmas tree for their children. But, not all families will be fortunate enough to provide gifts for their kids. However, each year all 20 LSU sports teams come together for CHAMPS’ annual ‘Christmas with the Tigers’ event to bring joy to underprivileged children who may not have the opportunity to open gifts on Christmas morning. Each squad adopts a child, buys presents off his or her wish list and gives them to the child at the function, which will be held Tuesday, Dec. 1 at 7 p.m. (CST) in the Bo Campbell Auditorium. LSU Athletics began hosting a charitable Christmas event more than 10 years ago when current Associate Athletic Director for Student Services Miriam Segar worked with the CHAMPS/Life Skills program, and it continues to flourish under the leadership of Director of Student Affairs Mike Mallet. “Miriam started this event back when she was with the CHAMPS program,” Mallet said. “They used to go to various places (to host the event), but when I took over, I decided we could have something here since we have the Auditorium where it wouldn’t put a lot of strain on the kids. All of the people from the SAAC community said let’s do it here, and we just called it ‘Christmas with the Tigers.’” Mallet and his staff work closely each year with a different charity that locates less fortunate families who are in need of help during the holiday season. This year his office is working with local group, Society St. Vincent de Paul and its homeless shelter. But, the CHAMPS director believes the key to the event’s continued success is the contributions of the student-athletes who he encourages to embrace the spirit of giving. “It’s a very joyous occasion and also a very fulfilling one, especially when you get young people involved so they can understand the thing about giving,” Mallet added. “One of the things I tell a lot of these guys is that they owe it to themselves to do something for the community. The community supports them in more ways than they think.” Mallet has his fair share of memorable moments from the past few years. He recalled one occasion when a four-year-old girl was so happy to be receiving a bicycle, she began weeping and riding it across the stage. In his mind, seeing such raw emotions and signs of jubilance are what make Christmas with the Tigers so special. “You see parents with a smile on their faces,” Mallet said. “You see the people who are responsible for these families, and they are very appreciative. They know the joys that these young people have, especially when they are in a shelter and don’t have anything. As sad as it may seem, this is one occasion that they all just have a good time.”