Santa Claus might not be coming to town, but the Class of '01 is

During the next few weeks, Santa Claus will be making a list of Christmas gifts and checking it twice.

And like his counterpart in the North Pole, Class of 2001 president Justin Browne has been compiling his own wish list, gathering names of elementary students from lower-income families as part of a senior class service project — the Princeton Giving Tree.

Now Browne is seeking University students, faculty and staff to donate gifts for the children on that list.

Two gift requests from each of 103 area elementary school students can be found on a Website designed for the Class of 2001.

The Website also includes instructions for donors on where to deliver the gift, and it automatically sends an e-mail thanking the donor for participating after he or she selects a name.

Browne said he got the idea for the Princeton Giving Tree project during the summer while he was brainstorming about service activities the senior class could take on.

"I see a need on campus for a project like this," Browne said. "The USG serves the University, but I want it to get more involved in serving outside the University, too. The student government should have a concern for the community as well."

As soon as Browne began taking action on his ideas, he enlisted the help of Clare Levy '01, who is involved with the Student Volunteers Council.

Levy said she got the names of the students for the wish list from the Princeton Young Achievers program — an after-school development program for elementary school students from lower-income communities — with which SVC has worked.

Levy said the students wrote down their Christmas wishes, and then the PYC teachers looked over the lists to be sure that the gifts were equal in value. "We didn't want anyone to request computers or puppies or anything like that," Levy said.

Browne said the gift requests were tailored for their potential donors. "Most of the students wished for gifts like Princeton sweatshirts, books, art supplies, Legos and board games," he said.

Browne said he hopes this project will bring the University community together in the spirit of giving gifts. "I'm hoping that fraternities, sports teams, hallways, even academic departments and preceptors will get together and sponsor a kid," he said.

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Browne hired Jonathan Jessup '01 to design the project Website, which was completed yesterday and is now fully functioning.

Donors can log on to the site using their Princeton user name.

"I really think that the campus population can do 200 presents," Browne said. "I'd like this project to be continued in future years, either by the senior class or by someone in USG, and I hope they will raise the amount of students they can include."

According to Browne, the project will last until noon on Dec. 15, by which time all gifts should be delivered to the Frist Campus Center Welcome Desk.

He said the senior class will rent a U-Haul truck and deliver the gifts to the students.

"I'm so ecstatic about being able to do this," Browne said. "The holidays are about giving to others, and I'm hoping to do that with this project."