Student’s wish for car granted
Santa Bucks event reaches 300 and puts a Subaru in Rob Despain’s driveway
Photo special to the News-Register
On Christmas Eve, art instructor Steven Benezue (left) handed over his 1990 Subaru to student Rob Despain, who was in need
of a car to take him back and forth to school and work.
North Lake College students, staff and faculty didn’t hold back from donating to the sixth annual Santa Bucks program Dec. 5. As always, there were plenty of toys, food, clothing and household items to give away, but this year a car was added to the mix.
“Steve Benezue wanted his 1990 car to go to someone who really needed transportation,” said student Victoria Stafford, coordinator of the Santa Bucks event. “He interviewed eight students, and it was a tough decision but he chose Rob Despain.”
Despain had been relying on friends to take him to and from school and work. The car was presented to him on Christmas Eve by Benezue, an art instructor and Gallery curator at NLC, who met him up at the college to hand over the keys, then followed him over to the gas station and filled up his tank.
Despain was overwhelmed. “I have just been blown away by the generosity of this college,” he said.
More than 300 students turned out at last December’s Santa Bucks event, which has been held outside the bookstore and cafeteria area every year since 2002.
“The momentum and the donations increase every year, too,” said Kathleen Stockmier, Journalism Club sponsor who oversees the event. “We had three times the donations that we had in 2006.”
Other items given away included a television set, computer screen, scanner, furniture, jewelry and a queen-sized bed.
Every student at North Lake is allowed to shop for free at the Santa Bucks event, held the first Wednesday in December. Each student is given $30 in Santa Bucks play money to shop. All items are $1, so they can buy 30 things.
Donations for the 2008 Santa Bucks program are now being accepted. Bring your items to the Journalism Lab in A-260, or call Stockmier at 972-273-3498 for pickup.