Six students and one professor from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh are heading down to the community of Ocean Springs, Miss. this December to help spread a little holiday cheer to victims of Hurricane Katrina.

The six students, who are in a social work class at UW-Oshkosh, will leave Dec. 7 and return Dec. 10. Their plan is to purchase gifts for local families in the Mississippi community affected by Katrina. All of this is an effort to take residents' minds off of the problems caused by the hurricane disaster and create a slightly happier holiday season.

"We're in a social action group, and the idea just kind of took off," UW-Oshkosh senior Shanna Maloney said. "Essentially, the goal is to adopt 36 families in Mississippi so that they can have gifts for the holidays."

The money needed to purchase the gifts has come mostly from individual students, faculty and student organizations that have contributed a combined $2,500. This is enough to "adopt" about 24 families — 12 short of the group's 36-family goal. However, the group of students hopes they will reach their goal by December.

Residence hall communities have led efforts to raise money, as have other student groups including the UW-Oshkosh Black Student Union and the Student Social Work Association. Members of the UW-Oshkosh social work faculty have contributed funds as well.

The six students participating in the trip will be accompanied by professor Stephanie Kissel.

"We asked her to come along," UW-Oshkosh senior Sherry Mealy said. "She got the social work department to adopt a family, and one of the professors used $500 of that to help sponsor us getting down there."

According to UW-Madison Interim Dean of Students Lori Berquam, many efforts to alleviate the suffering caused by Hurricane Katrina were made by UW-Madison students last year. These efforts include those made by the Wisconsin Public Interest Research Group, which had a program that included bus transportation for volunteers to travel to the Gulf Coast.

Though she did not name specifics, Berquam expressed confidence that students from UW-Madison will continue to aide in efforts in the Gulf Coast region.

"There are absolutely students from Madison helping out this year," she said.