HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS: A HAVERFORD TRADITION WITH CHEER TO SPARE

At Family & Friends Weekend 2002, a group of local parent volunteers was formed with the goal of aiding the College in better engaging the parents of its students. During one of the first meetings of this parent volunteer group, one of the parents casually mentioned that her son was bringing a friend home for Thanksgiving. After some continued discussion, Violet Brown, of Haverford's External Relations department, revealed that there were always some students left on campus during holiday breaks. Leah Gordon Schutzman, another parent on the committee, became very concerned by this, and once she got home, she found herself wondering if there wasn't something she could do about the problem. She phoned Violet, and bent her ear with a few ideas about a program that would give these students a place to go by matching them with parents of current students who lived in the Philadelphia area. Violet was very interested in the proposal, and the Home for the Holidays program became a reality.

During the summer, Leah sends a letter to all Haverford parents who live within 45 minutes of campus, inviting them to be volunteer hosts for one or more holidays during the school year. The letter contains a short form which gives her information about the household: whether there are pets or smokers (so she doesn't place allergic students with them), what the dietary habits of the family are (vegetarian, kosher, etc.), and a few other questions. Likewise, at the beginning of every school year, the entire student body receives an e-mail explaining the Home for the Holidays program. The program is also publicized through the Deans' Office, Student Council, and freshman class advisors. A few weeks before every holiday — and the program does include every holiday — each interested family is contacted and asked to confirm whether they are interested in participating before a second round of e-mails goes out to the student body. Interested students get a list of available hosts, so they can choose a particular one, if they so desire. Friends can sign up together in order to get the same placement.

Leah acknowledges that she administrates the program almost single-handedly, with invaluable help from Violet's office, but downplays her own role in comparison to the roles of the host parents. "The most challenging aspect of this job is getting enough host parents," she says, pointing out that without their "help and flexibility," the program would be an impossibility. She invites any local parents and even alumni reading this to consider volunteering next year, as it is the hosts who really allow Home for the Holidays to thrive.

The Home for the Holidays program is obviously a rousing success, but that's not enough for Leah, a longtime crusader for the welfare of children and animals — and now for college students, as well. Home for the Holidays is a living, breathing entity in a constant state of evolution, and Leah is confident as she looks to the future. She believes that the Home for the Holidays program has the potential to attract more and more students each year as the program becomes more understood and accepted among students, eliminating any timid feelings about spending the holidays at a stranger's home. "I'm hoping that as more students try the program, word will continue to spread that it's fun, casual, and worth the 'risk'," Leah says. "Violet and I were approached this fall by two members of the International Students' Association. They wondered if there might be a way that incoming international freshmen could be assigned host families who would maintain regular contact with them and help ease their adjustment to college and to living in this country. I would love to see that happen, and — knowing Haverford — I suspect that it will." Unfortunately, Leah will not be orchestrating that development, as she is stepping down as Home for the Holidays' organizer after this year. Nonetheless, it is clear that she is leaving a legacy of warmth and cheer that will serve the Haverford community for some time to come.