12/18/2003

Men?s Varsity Basketball players Darrel Owens and Omari Faulkner joined captain  Courtland Freeman distributing books at Young Elementary School in the District of Columbia as part of the University?s second annual Angel Tree book donation program.

Last year Georgetown?s Angel Tree collected 1,500 books for area children. This year volunteers distributed more than 1,300 books to schools, and homes in the Washington-metro area.

National service fraternity Alpha Phi Omega, the John Carroll Scholars Program and the Georgetown University Bookstore sponsor the program, and a partnership with Barnes and Noble bookstores provide discounts for participants in the effort.

Theresa DeGioia, wife of Georgetown University President John J. DeGioia, founded the University?s Angel Tree Program in 2002. The Program involves students, faculty and staff taking ornaments from special Christmas trees around campus and buying a book for the age range listed on the ornament. The donors then write a note for the recipients and volunteers then wrap the Christmas gifts. The books are then distributed to DC elementary schools and individual homes.