It may be the middle of winter, but Four Diamonds children are still going to go swimming -- in a pool of random mail, toys and T-shirts.

At this year's Interfraternity Council/Panhellenic Dance Marathon, the Kids' Mail Call (KMC) will kick off the fun mail service in which every child will receive not one letter but a flood of personalized mail throughout the course of the event from organizations.

On Feb. 20, decked out in paper bag mail vests and mailman hats made by the KMC team, kids will be receiving letters throughout the day.

The culmination of the mail call occurs when the children are led through a "letter tunnel" and slip down a slide into a pool of treats.

"It's a great thing for the Four Diamonds children and their siblings," said Mike Cocco, morale chair. "The regular dancers' families get to send them mail, so why can't the kids get the same treatment? A lot of organizations on campus have been very giving in donating toys and other things, so we can give the kids great stuff at Mail Call."

The mail call, which started a few years ago, has grown largely in part because of the dedication and creativity of the morale committee behind it, said family relations morale captain Meghan Gaffney.

"Last year, the kids had a mail pool similar to the one we're using this year," Gaffney said. "However, people were afraid the kids would get paper cuts from sliding into the mail."

This year, Gaffney said she and Rob Felins, family relations morale liasion, added T-shirts and toys to the tunnel to break up the amount of letters.

"With more brainstorming, Rob and I decided to create KMC T-shirts, which was never done before," she said. "I started recruiting people to buy T-shirts for themselves under one condition -- they had to fund a child's shirt as well."

Gaffney said she was amazed and inspired by the overwhelming response KMC received. "I thought we would get about 200 shirts, but [last week] I put in the KMC order for 650 shirts," she said.

Ashleigh Eustice (senior-human development and family studies), a KMC committee member, said enthusiasm is necessary because the kids are truly affected by the efforts of KMC.

"The kids see the dancers getting it and look up to them -- it's a way to be like them," she said. "When I was little I loved getting mail. ... I can't imagine the excitement of the kids when they get a whole bag full."

The goal of KMC is to make the kids feel special but not victimized.

"We don't say 'Get better' or 'Feel better' in the mail -- only things like 'I love you' and 'Hope you're having fun,'" committee member Lindsey Tifft (sophomore--elementary education) said. "For one weekend, they completely forget they are sick, and they just have fun at Thon."

Eustice recalled her feelings of reaching that goal through KMC last year. "I remember last year a little boy who didn't know what KMC was and who didn't think he was getting anything," she said. "We decided to go check, and he in fact had a whole bag full. It was the greatest thing ever -- he was so excited."