Celebrating the season of giving, PNWU’s community once again embraced the spirit of our mission during our 2024 YWCA Holiday Gift Drive.
Organized by Vicky Koch, Executive Assistant to the Dean, and Kathleen Carillo, Administrative Coordinator in PNWU’s School of OT, the annual event rallied students, faculty, and staff to donate and deliver gifts to 18 local families in need, brightening the holidays for some of Yakima’s most vulnerable residents.
The drive kicked off with the installation of PNWU’s Giving Tree, a festive centerpiece displayed in the BHH and MLC foyers. Adorned with ornaments listing the wishes of families served by the YWCA—an organization providing critical domestic violence services—the tree serves as a sort of annual beacon of our mission’s immediate impact on our community.
Each ornament on the PNWU Giving Tree represented a specific gift request, from toys for children to special surprises for mothers. Each year, the campus responds with fervor, with every ornament claimed again this year.
“This is the results of the PNWU Giving Tree,” said organizer Vicky Koch, stepping delicately through a sea of gift bags ribboned boxes which overflowed from Dean Scandalis’ office. “This is, I believe, our tenth year we’ve done this — faculty, staff, and students, giving for 18 families this year – and everyone is so excited to do this.”
On December 11, volunteers from PNWU loaded up cars with the gifts and delivered them directly to the YWCA, where they were distributed to families in need. The event provided more than just holiday cheer—it offered a reminder of the power of community and the difference that small acts of kindness can make.
“This is really remarkable,” said PNWU Interim President Dr. Robbyn Wacker, who assisted in loading and delivering the gifts during her first holiday season at PNWU. “People from our community know how important it is to give, and to make sure that we’re a part of the community – that we’re supporting our community. I’m delighted to be here, and to have an opportunity to be a part of this wonderful tree. It’s a great way to say we care.”
The YWCA, which offers shelter and resources to women and children escaping domestic violence, expressed deep gratitude for the drive, which brightened the holidays for 18 families.
For Cymaron Torres, Operations Manager at the YWCA, the results of PNWU’s drive elicit deep personal emotions. “I was a teen of the YWCA,” explained Torres, “so at one point I was on the receiving end of receiving presents. It’s sponsors like PNWU that make our clients’ Christmas bright now.”
