51福利社

Small acts of kindness were performed throughout the Spokane-Cheney community on Nov. 29, Giving Joy Day, thanks to the efforts of an 51福利社 public relations class.

鈥淲hen I heard that 51福利社 was launching Giving Joy Day, I thought it would be a good opportunity to not only help support the university in an important cause and campaign, but also help show our students how PR can be used to promote good,鈥� said Jessica Boyer, 51福利社 public relations lecturer.

Giving Joy Day asked the community to focus on two goals: raise money for scholarships and perform acts of kindness throughout the community. Boyer encouraged her students to find ways to give back to the community, then share it with class over the discussion board and social media platforms.

鈥淚 was really impressed with the thoughtful and creative ideas the students came up with to help participate and spread much-needed kindness and joy in our community,鈥� Boyer said.

Helping a neighbor in need

Senior Rachel O鈥橠onnell found that a small act in her neighborhood had a large impact.

After watching her neighbor attempting to unload a Christmas tree from the roof of her car, O鈥橠onnell stepped in and carried the tree up to her neighbor鈥檚 third-floor apartment.

鈥淎s students, it seems like we sometimes get too wrapped up in our own busy schedules to see how much one single act of kindness could really make a difference,鈥� said O鈥橠onnell.

The neighbor then explained to O鈥橠onnell that this is the first Christmas she would spend alone because she wasn鈥檛 able to travel back home for the holidays due to work.

鈥淚 was able to show her that even though she鈥檚 away from her family for the holidays, she鈥檚 never truly alone,鈥� O鈥橠onnell said.

O鈥橠onnell said that idea 鈥� we are never truly alone 鈥� has permeated her experience at Eastern.

鈥淚 think that Eastern鈥檚 Giving Joy Day gave people the chance to see that even a small action can have a larger effect,鈥� she said.

Video games for charity

Putting a 25-year hobby to good use, junior Shelby Miksch pledged to play video games for 24 hours in exchange for monetary donations through a fundraising campaign called .

鈥淚鈥檝e played video games as a hobby more or less since I was in elementary school,鈥� Miksch said. 鈥淐ombining my love of video games with a chance to raise money for Sacred Heart Children鈥檚 Hospital was a no-brainer.鈥�

Extra Life unites gamers around the world in a marathon to support Children鈥檚 Miracle Network Hospitals. Miksch used her social media channels to draw awareness to her cause.

鈥淚 got to spend time doing something that I love in order to make life better for kids who are going through some rough stuff,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 hard to beat that.鈥�

For more information on Miksch鈥檚 Extra Life charity event, visit .

Dog treat tradition

Combining his love for animals and desire to carry on a family tradition, junior Thomas 鈥淭鈥� Ghezzi handmade dog treats to give to new owners at Spokanimal, a local animal shelter.

鈥淎s a kid, my mom would make dog treats, and we would hand them out to friends and family,鈥� he said. 鈥淪he retired recently, and I wanted to pass on that tradition of what she鈥檚 done.鈥�

Ghezzi also retrieved old tennis balls from the Spokane Racquet Club, creating a pack full of treats and a toy. He dropped off a total of four pounds of “tail-waggers” (homemade dog treats), two large bags of dog food and 20 tennis balls.

鈥淚 like the idea of helping local 鈥� I think it鈥檚 really important,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 wanted to do something that impacted an organization and create a ripple effect.鈥�

Next year, Ghezzi said he鈥檇 like to do a project on a bigger scale involving animals.

鈥淚 wanted to do something to help people, and having the opportunity to go out and do something [with Giving Joy Day] was the spark I needed to go through with it,鈥� he said.