ONU students Jerrod Amstutz and Austin Hilverding, co-coordinators of Ada Friends, hosted Ada's biggest Christmas party on Sunday.

Ada Friends matches Ada kindergarteners through eighth graders with an Ohio Northern University student mentor.

On Sunday you might say the two students played a bit of Santa during the Friends Christmas party.

They helped over 90 ONU students and their elementary matches enjoy Christmas as they decorated cookies, – 17 dozen in all - wrote letters to Santa, created Christmas tree ornaments, pinned a nose on Rudolph and watched a Christmas movie. The two-hour party took place in McIntosh Center at ONU.

Ada Friends, organized in 1991 through the Ohio Northern University Religious Life staff, matches dozens of Ada students with college mentors. The ONU Religious Life Staff is under the direction of David MacDonald, ONU chaplain.

Amstutz said, “Ada Friends offers a student and mentor one hour a week of time together to develop a relationship.”

In addition to the one-on-one aspect of the program, Ada Friends also offers monthly events with all mentors and mentees, like Sunday’s Christmas party.