Toy drives embody the spirit of giving in Massapequa

Massapequa students are fulfilling wishes for children across Long Island as several schools are hosting holiday toy drives. In a time of year dubbed “the season of giving,” donation boxes have been filling up.

Berner Middle School’s Builders Club, under the direction of Bill Pollock, organized a toy drive for the John Theissen Children’s Foundation, which supports sick and underprivileged children. Students contributed new and unwrapped toys in a donation box in the lobby from Dec. 8 to 20. 

“Everyone deserves to be happy for the holidays,” said eighth grader Madeline Ross, the vice president of Builders Club, a service-based organization. “I feel good that everyone is giving to people who can’t afford presents.”

The student council at Birch Lane Elementary School also collected for the John Theissen Children’s Foundation. Every morning, students would bring toys to school and place them in bags in their classrooms. Student council’s elves would then go around the school and collect the bags, then unpack and sort the toys.  

“We give toys to children in need so they can have a happy Christmas,” fifth grader Alexa Lorenzetti said. 

The student council, advised by Meghan Reedy and Allison Rifkin, continues its toy drive through Dec. 21.

East Lake Elementary School partnered with the Emily Meyer Foundation to collect new, unwrapped toys. All donations, which were collected through Dec. 15, would be delivered to local hospitals and children’s organizations. Student council members, led by Meggin Hall, promoted the toy drive to ensure its success.

At Fairfield Elementary School, the student council, led by advisers Stephanie Cantelmo and Dallas Dano, collected for Toys for Tots from Dec. 11 to 15. The student leaders made posters promoting the toy drive, which were hung throughout the school. 

“Some kids don’t have much at all, and we wanted to give them some gifts,” student council member Jack Sventoraitis said.

Added Julia Teichman, “We’re trying to get everyone in the school to really think about those kids and donate toys so they can have some joy.”

 

Photo captions:

1: Berner Middle School’s Builders Club, joined by Principal Jason Esposito, center, and adviser Bill Pollock, collected toys for the John Theissen Children’s Foundation.

2: East Lake Elementary School’s student council held a toy drive to benefit the Emily Meyer Foundation, which supports children in hospitals. 

3: Student council members at Fairfield Elementary School sorted through donations for the Toys for Tots program.

4: Birch Lane Elementary School student council members held their annual toy drive for the John Theissen Children’s Foundation.

5: During their daily morning rounds, student council elves at Birch Lane Daniel Cunnane and Alexa Lorenzetti picked up toys that were donated in each classroom.

 

Photos courtesy of the Massapequa School District