‘Night at the Museum,’ ‘Operation Gift Wrap’ ISU veterans Christmas programs set

The Idaho State University Veterans Sanctuary Program is sponsoring a variety of Christmas events for ISU student veterans, including an "A Night at the Museum" on Monday, Dec. 7, and "Operation Gift Wrap" to provide Christmas gifts to ISU's student veterans and their families.

The Veterans Sanctuary, in cooperation with the Idaho Museum of Natural History and the Bengal Film Theater, is sponsoring "A Night at the Museum" beginning at 5 p.m. on Dec. 7, Pearl Harbor Day. This event, which is free for all ISU student veterans and their families, will include guided tours of museum exhibits and of collections that are rarely open to the general public for viewing.  The museum tours will go from 5 to 7 p.m. After that, vets and their families are invited to the Bengal Theater for a showing of the popular, family-friendly movie "Night at the Museum 2."

"Operation Gift Wrap" is a campus "secret Santa" program for ISU’s vets and their families designed to help veterans and their families have a merry Christmas.

The Veterans Sanctuary, in partnership with the ISU Veterans’ Club, is coordinating the program. The names of needs of more than 30 ISU student veterans and their family members were given confidentially to the event sponsors.

The wish list is available at the Veterans Sanctuary website at www.isu.edu/veterans. Click on the “Operation Gift Wrap” link on the left side of the page.

People who wish to fill the needs can take donations to several drop-off locations throughout Pocatello and Chubbuck, including

• Veterans’ Sanctuary Office, Room 157B in ISU’s Rendezvous Complex

• College of Arts and Sciences Dean’s Office, College of Business, Room 248

• ISU-Idaho Falls campus, c/o the Armed Forces Veterans Club at the Bennion Student Union Building

• Mason Jar, 2525 Pole Line Road

• Wilks Funeral Home, 211 W. Chubbuck Road

• Phil Meador Toyota, 1407 Yellowstone Ave.

Santa’s list will be updated every day on the Veterans Sanctuary website and it will be posted at each of the drop-off locations. The last day for donations is Dec. 14. The gifts will then be sorted and wrapped for pickup by (or delivery to) the veterans’ families before Christmas.

For more information, contact Casey Santee, director of the ISU Veterans Sanctuary Program, (208) 282-4298.