Number of Participants: 100
Hours Donated: 1
Value of Time Served: $845
Event Type: Children & Youth
Sport: Schools
Date: December 18, 2019
Location:
Massapequa
NY, USA
About:
Thanks to the efforts of students throughout the Massapequa School District, hundreds of children across Long Island will be receiving toys this year for the holidays.
The Massapequa High School Key Club hosted its annual Toy Drive in December, with collection boxes placed throughout the school. On Dec. 17, students gathered up the toys, brought them to adviser Michael LaBella’s classroom and spent the afternoon wrapping as holiday music played in the background. The following day, they visited the Head Start program in Amityville to give the gifts to 75 preschool age children, with Mr. LaBella dressed as Santa.
“It’s good to spread joy within the community to help underprivileged kids and give them something to be thankful for around the holidays,” said Key Club Vice President Juliet Weiss. She added that because of the generosity of Massapequa students and staff, the collection drive was a huge success and they would be able to give each child multiple toys.
Berner Middle School’s Builders Club raised about $450 selling candy cane grams, in which students could send a candy cane along with a happy holiday message to a friend. Adviser Noreen Millers said the money was used to buy toys, which were then donated to the John Theissen Children’s Foundation in Wantagh. The organization provides gifts to underprivileged children as well as those in hospitals.
At Birch Lane Elementary School, fifth graders in John Coyne’s class also hosted a toy drive for John Theissen Children’s Foundation. The annual event generated more than 700 toys this year. Each day during the two-week drive, his student put on elf hats and collected donations from each classroom. Every students who contributed a toy received a holiday pencil and coloring sheet.
Mr. Coyne’s students said that the toy drive was important to them as a way of spreading kindness and making sure that every child has a great holiday.
Photo captions:
1: The Berner Middle School Builders Club raised money to buy $450 worth of toys for the John Theissen Children’s Foundation.
2: Massapequa High School Key Club members wrapped toys after school on Dec. 17 for the Amityville Head Start program.
3: Birch Lane Elementary School fifth graders, from left, Ella Spuches, Dean Zlatniski, James Leudesdorff and Juliana Ansaldi collected toys from classrooms.
4: Juniors Bobby Stang and Matt Mineo were among the Massapequa High School Key Club members who help wrap toys after school.
Photos courtesy of the Massapequa School District