Making Spirits Even Brighter

Scott Gartley ‘25 recently used his creativity and generous spirit to make the Student Government Association's “Letters from Santa'' project a great success. A freshman History/Pre-law student and a member of Marywood’s Men’s Track and Field team, Scott proposed the idea of writing letters from Santa to the children and young family members of Marywood's faculty, staff, and alumni. Adding this new project to Marywood’s overall Making Spirits Bright annual Christmas initiative, the SGA voted to provide funding for the supplies, but Scott almost single-handedly wrote and personalized all 125 requested letters! 

Michael Kalage, Director of Student Engagement, said, “Scott took the time to make every letter unique, and thoroughly incorporated all of the details provided from the signup form into the letters. Scott shared that he used to receive letters like this when he was a child, so he understands the magic they offer, and he wanted to pass it forward to more kids this year.” He continued, “SGA had a great, successful semester overall, but the amount of time and effort that Scott put into this project stood out to me above all other initiatives. We all know how busy our students are, and how many priorities they are always juggling, so the fact that he made time to brighten the Christmas of more than 100 young members of our community is impressive and admirable.” 

It is also worth mentioning that Scott created and accomplished this entire project “quickly and quietly,” so the Student Engagement Office and SGA, along with the entire Marywood community, wish to recognize his great work. Kind, selfless efforts like Scott’s demonstrate Marywood’s mission and core values in meaningful ways, enriching the entire campus community and making spirits even brighter during the Christmas season!