Members of the United States military willingly sacrifice their energy, family time and lives to serve their country. This Veteran’s Day, Wichita State is giving back to them.

On Monday, the Student Activities Council will host its third Service in the City outreach project. This time, students will be packing holiday boxes for military members overseas in a come-and-go setting from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.

That same day is the grand opening of WSU’s Military and Student Veteran Center.

“We wanted to do something for Veteran’s Day, and then I kind of got wind that they were opening a military and veteran’s student center,” Lyston Skerritt, coordinator of Student Organization and Civic Engagement, said. “We thought that would coincide very well with that opening ceremony and giving back.”

Student Involvement’s goal is to have 100 holiday boxes to send to various military bases around the world. However, they still need donations. Items needed include coffee, toothbrushes, toothpaste and small note pads or holiday decorations, among other things.

A complete list of requested items can be found at http://www.wichita.edu/thisis/wsunews/cnews/?cnid=12321. All donations can be delivered to the Student Involvement office in room 262 of the Rhatigan Student Center by 5:00 p.m. on Friday.

While the Service in the City outreach project meets the immediate goal of giving back to active troops separated from their families during the holidays, the Military and Student Veteran Center is set to serve troops over the long term.

Sarah Sell, with the Office of Student Success, is in charge of running the center.

“This was really designed to be a space for our students with military experience and their dependents to find support on campus, to find a community that they fit into, to help support them for their academic goals,” Sell said.

The center, located in Lindquist Hall, Room 207, will be a lounge, work area and computer lab for active military and veteran students. Sell hopes many will attend the grand opening to get acquainted with the center.

“This is a really good way to just kind of see what the space looks like, see how functional it will be for them, and for also the rest of the Kansas community to know it exists, to be able to let people know about it and provide referrals if needed,” Sell said.

Skerritt and Sell said the outreach project is a good way to give back to the military community. They’ve tried to make it easy to fit into busy student schedules.

“It’s just come and go,” Skerritt said. “You can pack a few boxes, and then be on your way.”

For more information on the Service in the City Veteran’s Day project contact Lyston Skerritt at [email protected]. For more information on the Military and Student Veteran Center contact Tom Lezniak at [email protected].