In an effort to bring NIU students and the community together, the Student Association is organizing a Christmas caroling event to raise money for the community’s homeless.

Spearheaders of the event, SA Community Affairs Adviser Jennifer Novak and SA Public Relations Adviser Lara Cipolla are inviting all student and community organizations to sing with them. Dec. 5 from 7 to 9 p.m.

Donations raised from the event will go to the DeKalb County Homeless Shelter.

“We’d like to have this be large enough that there is more than one group of carolers, so that we hit different areas in the community during this time,” Novak said.

Cipolla said she hopes the carolers will collect food or money from each house they sing at.

Novak said each group of carolers will hold banners which will state their purpose and remind the community they are taking donations.

“I thought this would be a good opportunity for the people in the community to get to know the students better, since we are actually going to be out in the community,” Novak said.

Following the caroling, all the participants are invited back to the SA office for hot chocolate and cookies courtesy of Holmes Student Center Director Judd Baker.

The donations will be given to a representative of the DeKalb Homeless Shelter at that time, Novak said.

Anyone who wants to get involved should contact Cipolla or Novak at the SA Office located on the student center’s second floor.

Novak and Cipolla said they hope a charity event involving the students and the community will be carried out every semester so the two can interact better.

“We are also in the process of planning our blood drive for February which is going to be our event for the spring semester,” Cipolla said.