This year, our school came together for a great cause–to help those who are less fortunate. When our Student Government President wanted to spread some holiday cheer and make a difference in this world, a toy drive with our school became the brainchild. The goal was simple: collect gently used toys from students and donate them to children in need.

First, there was supposed to be a partnership with the elementary school across the street, where there were many kids from financially challenged situations who may have gone without new toys this year. Obviously working out the details and collaboration between schools proved easier said than done. Rather than hang their head, Student Government managed to find an alternative way of leaving its mark.

They chose to team up with Toys for Tots, run by the U.S. Marine Corps–a charity that collects new and used toys, then sends them to kids in need locally and around the world. So, in working with them, the toys collected within our school will go toward helping kids in our community and children in other parts of the world that truly need them. 

In the end, the toy drive was a huge success! Our school collected 40 toys in its first year. That is quite an accomplishment, and these will go to help bring some holiday joy to kids that may not have otherwise received gifts.

We advertised the toy drive through morning announcements, posters, and word-of-mouth. Members of Student Government, along with other students, made sure everyone knew where to drop off their donations.

One of the best things that this toy drive did was to bring our school together. Be it the members of Student Government or all those who donated, the drive showed us what we can do when we all work together for a good cause. It made our school feel as one and caring.

It was a reminder of this toy drive, too-why it is so essential to give back: even though toys we collected could seem insignificant, their impact is huge. That helped kids who otherwise wouldn’t get anything for holidays and brought a sense of compassion to our school.

In the future, we look forward to this as an annual event for this toy drive. We still continue seeking ways of helping others and giving back to the community. As our Student Government President stated, “It is important that we give back as much as we can. Every little bit helps, and together, we can make a big difference.”

Huge thanks to all who helped make this year’s toy drive such a success! We can’t wait to see what we can do next year!