OCU contributes to Skyline at Christmas

The chapel offices overflowed again this Christmas season, with an outpouring of gifts from the OCU community for the Angel Tree families at Skyline Urban Ministry, a United Methodist-related mission in Oklahoma City.

A total of 82 individuals-16 families and 14 senior citizens—were the happy recipients of those gifts.

As part of the project, the OCU Athletic Department again sponsored a canned food drive. Results far exceeded expectations. The department collected 9,390 items-almost 30 items per student-athlete. Totals from the drive in the previous two years were 1,865 items and 3,664 items.

"I can’t tell you how proud I am of our student-athletes," Athletic Director Jim Abbott said. "They really embraced the idea this year that they could make a difference."

After delivering these items to Skyline, Abbott wrote to the campus community, "I have been reminded often during this effort that folks aren’t just hungry around the holidays. 

"I hope you’ll keep Skyline in mind and in your prayers throughout the year. The work they do is amazing! Like me, you might find you are more rewarded for the effort that you put into helping others than you could ever imagine."