Room 316 in the Grauel Building at Southeast Missouri State University looks more like a toy store than a classroom. Jennifer Icaza-Gast's students and students in other departments have filled the room with gifts meant to make needy children smile Christmas morning.

Icaza-Gast proudly calls this the work of the SEMO Student Santas.

SEMO Student Santas was born on Christmas morning two years ago when Icaza-Gast found herself weeping as her two young children unwrapped gifts on Christmas morning. "I got overwhelmed with sadness because I knew other kids were not getting anything," she said.

Last Christmas, Icaza-Gast decided to do something about that. The communications studies instructor offered her students a maximum of 20 bonus points if they brought in toys to be distributed to children at Christmas. Soon she was surrounded by 1,500 toys.

When the program was publicized, she received many letters from people who were homeless and in desperate situations. "I was in disbelief," she said. "I would hear, 'My kids are not getting anything.'"

A nurse in the Cape Girardeau schools requested toys for 80 children.

Though Icaza-Gast spent about $2,000 of her own money on shipping and packaging and was still delivering toys on Christmas Eve, she said, "That was the best Christmas I ever had."

This year's goal is to collect 3,000 toys, and the students are well on the way. A communications student organization called the Comrades has taken on the project. Individual students like Kevin Tihen, a senior from St. Charles, Mo., have, too. He brought in four toys Thursday, including toy cars, checkers and a stuffed bear.

When Tihen was growing up his family helped during the holidays with an adopt-a-family program that serves 1,000 families in St. Charles. He appreciates the bonus points but said, "I wasn't worried about that too much. I was going to help anyway."

This year some of the money contributed to SEMO Student Santas will be used for packaging and shipping, and a number of students have volunteered to help Icaza-Gast with wrapping and deliveries.

Public relations student Kim Farmer of Marquand, Mo., brought in recorders, Play-Doh, a puzzle, a toy motorcycle and glow-in-the-dark necklaces. "I chose whatever I would have liked as a little girl," she said. She plans to help Icaza-Gast wrap packages but will miss the deliveries because she is going home for the holidays.

Redhawks linebacker Josh Jackson remembers the Christmas he received his favorite boyhood gift, a red Power Wheels Jeep. The sophomore sports management major couldn't get to a toy store but has volunteered to wrap and deliver packages for local children, just as he used to do for his church back in Houston.

Anyone who knows children needing toys for Christmas can reach Icaza-Gast at 651-2241. She expects to be delivering toys up to and including Christmas Eve.

Icaza-Gast said this is an important lesson her own children and students can learn from SEMO Student Santas. "Nobody knows the shoes other people walk in," the Jackson native said.

In a way, helping needy children is actually a self act on her part, Icaza-Gast said. "Now I feel great on Christmas."

sblackwell@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 137