On Dec. 3, University of Central Arkansas students will attempt to set the world record for the World?s Largest Christmas Stocking. The event will mark the end of a two-month charity drive to collect toys and clothing for Arkansas? neediest children.
The stocking, designed and sewn entirely by UCA students, will be 40 feet tall and nearly 25 feet across (from heel to toe) with a circumference of 30 feet. It will be filled with thousands of donated toys that will be distributed to several local charities.?Our goal is to collect 10,000 toys and 5,000 articles of clothing,? project coordinator and UCA student Brittany Jones said. ?If we reach our goal, the toys and clothes will go a long way toward providing for Arkansas? neediest kids this Christmas.?
Toys will be donated to children across the state, including those from families affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
?It is very important to include the children affected by this year?s terrible hurricanes in our charity drive,? Jones said.
Toys will be distributed by Toys for Tots, the Salvation Army Angel Tree program and the Boys and Girls Club of Faulkner County.
More than 20 student groups at UCA are aiding in the collection of toys. Local businesses have also been invited to participate by displaying collection boxes in their stores or by making donations.
?Businesses and individuals from across the state have already made dozens of generous donation,? Jones said. ?This is a true example of a community coming together to help its less-fortunate. The world record won?t just be for UCA or for Conway, it will be for the entire state of Arkansas.?
The ?Filling Ceremony? on Dec. 3 will be open to the public. It will begin at noon at Ida Waldran Auditorium located in Main Hall on the UCA campus. There is no admission fee, but attendees are encouraged to bring a toy to donate at the door. After the stocking is filled, a representative from Guinness World Records will measure the stocking to ensure that it exceeds the previous record.
The current world record is held by J. Terry Osborne of Kings William County, Va. His 35-foot tall stocking (which measured 16.5 feet from heel to toe) set the record in September 2004.
UCA President Lu Hardin said, ?The legacy of this event will live on not only in the Guinness Book of Records, but in the hearts and minds of thousands of children across our state. Let?s all join together to ensure this Christmas is the best ever.?