Number of Participants: 30
Hours Donated: 6
Value of Time Served: $6,262
Event Type: Children & Youth
Activity: Club
Date: January 5, 2026
Location:
John Lewis Childs Elementary
Elizabeth Street, Floral Park
NY
About:
Every December, John Lewis Childs School embraces the spirit of the season by giving back to the community and helping those in need through its annual toy drive and mitten collection.
The Student Council, under the guidance of advisers Marianna Antonakis and Christina Saunders, organized the yearly toy drive for the Hance Family Foundation. Students and staff were invited to contribute new, unopened toys during the two-week drive. On Dec. 19, Student Council members welcomed students to “hop on” the Toy Train in the gymnasium to deliver their donations. The PTA also generously donated funds to purchase toys and sponsored the holiday decorations in the gymnasium.
Representatives from the Hance Family Foundation and NYPD Community Affairs, who distributed the toy donations on behalf of the foundation, visited the school and thanked the students for their efforts. The toys were given to families in need throughout the 113th Precinct.
Meanwhile, the Mitten Tree in the main lobby is decorated with brand-new mittens, gloves and scarves, all of which will be donated to an elementary school in Utah. This school is selected to receive the donations each year due to a former employee, Matthew Reid, working there and helping the local community in need.
Photos courtesy of the Floral Park-Bellerose Union Free School District
