A seemingly ordinary Christmas tree stands in the Physician Assistant Studies Building. About six feet tall, it’s artificial with ribbon and lights strewn throughout; a makeshift star made of green and red party hats sits atop.
It’s the 30 special ornaments hanging from its limbs that set it apart from other trees. Each one represents a Christmas present wish from a family sponsored by Physician Assistant Studies students, a time-honored tradition in the program.
Each year during the holidays, PA students partner with Journey House to buy presents for families who would otherwise struggle to do so. The Milwaukee-based nonprofit organization has since 1969 empowered families living on the city’s south side to move out of poverty through adult education, workforce development, youth development and family engagement programs.
Students Ally Ecklund and Sophia Bancker led this year’s effort to support a family during the holiday season and inspire their fellow classmates to help check off every item on the family’s list.
Bancker says the tradition has been passed down from class to class because Marquette PA students are service-oriented and demonstrate genuine care for others.
“We believe in holistically caring for our patients, which includes their spiritual and emotional well-being,” Bancker says. “We have the opportunity to make a family’s holiday season feel festive, and doing so allows us to connect with the community and play a role in their emotional well-being.”
Ecklund says she was drawn to this act of service because of the foundation that was laid when she was growing up: her family would “adopt” a letter to Santa and buy a gift for the child who wrote it.
“I have always enjoyed helping others, especially during the holiday season,” Ecklund says. “This time of year, people should have the opportunity to spend time together as a family without worrying about being able to afford presents for their children.”
The Physician Assistant Studies program is academically intense and requires students to be focused on their didactic coursework as well as to prepare for clinical rotations. As future health care professionals, Ecklund says she and her classmates remain mindful of finding time to help others.
So, one by one, PA students took those special ornaments — representing everything from fun gifts like Care Bears and earrings to needed essentials like winter clothes and pillows — and purchased each gift for an area family in time for Christmas.
“Stepping back from our daily routines of class and studying to help people who
are facing hard times allows us to be more empathetic and gain perspective on what
others are going through,” Ecklund says. “It also provides an opportunity to be grateful for what we have and the opportunities we are given.
“Being able to bring a bit of Christmas magic to local families is such a privilege, and the joy it brings to others motivates students to continue the tradition year after year.”
