Thanksgiving came a week early for members of the Auburn University Mentor program, a campus organization that matches students with disadvantaged youth from around Lee County.
Project Uplift brought kids and their Auburn student-mentors to the Phi Delta Theta house for a night of food and fun.
"It's just a couple hours to let the kids have a good time and take their minds off their regular lives," said Chris Haenn, warden of Phi Delta Theta and senior in finance. "We host this event every year for Thanksgiving dinner as just a small portion of Project Uplift. We funded this individual Thanksgiving event and Delta Gamma is participating with us to support the cause as well."
In addition to a local petting zoo featuring a camel and a baby kangaroo, kids enjoyed a Moonbounce, arts and crafts and a special appearance by Aubie.
At the end of the night, after a short prayer, everyone helped themselves to the Thanksgiving-style foods provided by Greek Life Services catering.
"I love it, it's so much fun seeing them play," said Christy Rolf, former vice president of communications for Delta Gamma and junior in interior design. "We don't normally work with kids but when we have the opportunity we always jump in. They asked our sorority to join them for the last few years so we kind of help them set it up and bring crafts to help run it."
Rolf said even though Project Uplift is primarily Phi Delta Theta's philanthropy event, members of Delta Gamma have gladly assisted with the event since it started three years ago.
"Clark Macklemore, who graduated last year, actually started it," said Bennett Norris, treasurer of Phi Delta Theta and senior in accounting. "He was a former mentor to one of the kids and he spearheaded this a few years ago for our fraternity. We've just tried to keep it going and make it an annual thing. We'll clean up afterwards, we're just gonna let em rip and roar and have a good time until it ends."
Norris said the entire $2,000 budget was culled directly from fraternity dues in order to pay for the event.
Vicky Yarborough, administrative support assistant for Project Uplift, said the event provides the kids with a rare opportunity to see a side of life not always available to them.
'Some of these kids have never seen some of the animals out there," Yarborough said. "They get to play on the bounce house and they get Thanksgiving supper tonight so you know they're going to be fed very well. They always do a wonderful job here with Project Uplift."
Yarborough said anyone interested in joining Project Uplift should come by its office located inside Cater Hall for one of the training sessions.
The training sessions will be held Sunday at 3 p.m. and Monday-Tuesday at 4 p.m.
Background checks and interviews are required, but once students are certified they interact with the students on their own time.
"The kids really enjoy it," Yarborough said. "It gives the students at Auburn something to do and it gives the kids something to do at night besides being out on the streets."
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