CARBONDALE - A mundane office Christmas party or two hours of bowling, billiards and sub sandwiches with 20 lively children? No contest.

At least that is what Southern Illinois University Carbondale Deputy Payroll Director Russ Chiaventone thought as he surveyed the controlled chaos between office workers and youths from the Illinois Masonic Children's Home in Murphysboro Wednesday evening inside the Student Center's bowling alley.

"It's nice to see my staff having so much fun with these kids," Chiaventone said. "Payroll is not exactly an exciting department to work in, so anything we can do to have some fun is nice."

Fun or a good cause was the name of the game, besides bowling and a few rounds of pool.

SIUC payroll employees had set up the evening for the children through an employee gift fund they collect each year, but normally spend on a catered meal for themselves. Chiaventone said this year's party was so pleasing it might just become an annual event.

"Our … goal was to do something different with our money other than spend it on ourselves," he said.

The department has donated to charities in the past, but Chiaventone said everyone wanted interaction so they could see firsthand the good they were doing.

There is no better place to see good results than on the smile of a child's face, it seems.

Rebecca Henry, cottage manager for the Masonic home's girls' group, said the organization was seeking interactive functions with people and suggested the idea to SIUC.

"For the holidays I'd say we do a lot of functions," Henry said. "This is probably the first of this kind, where they are bowling with the people."

The children are doing more than just bowling, she added. They are gaining a sense of community, something Henry said is important to their development.

"What better role models than the people who work jobs at SIU?" she said, adding, "Especially SIU. We have a lot of kids who want to come to SIU."

Along with the games and food Wednesday night, several other campus departments and businesses donated items for gift baskets handed out at the party, including the Student Center, the Student Center McDonalds, the Recreation Center, University Housing, the Department of Athletics, Student Health Services and the Alumni Association.

caleb.hale@thesouthern.com

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