A child grins in excitement as they look at the pile of toys sitting before them. One by one, they wait, each now able to experience the joy of Christmas.
The Texas High School’s Texas Association of Future Educators organization plans a Toy Drive service project on Dec. 6 at the Texas A&M University of Texarkana for children of all ages who have been affected by recent natural disasters to make sure they have a Christmas as well.
“The toy drive is to collect toys for kids who were part of the recent natural disasters.” TAFE coordinator Lisa McCloskey said. “We just want Christmas to go on as usual for those kids.”
This organization makes a large effort to get the word out, make this drive happen and ultimately produce a great outcome.
“We copied a lot of flyers, made posters and put it on the school media,” McCloskey said. “So far, our bucket is getting pretty full, so we are doing pretty well. Our overall goal is to get 100 toys.”
Preparing for the Toy Drive did not come without obstacles, with its organization a large undertaking in general.
“We haven’t had too many people from the community donate,” sophomore TAFE member Adalynn McCloskey said. “But a lot of our TAFE members have contributed, and we did have a teacher donate $20, which is really good.”
The drive not only helps the children of the Texarkana community but also the organization itself. After the event is over, all toys that have been donated will be delivered to the children who are looking for a new companion this Christmas.
“This would really help TAFE because other people would know the opportunities that we have, and how we’re giving back to the community.” sophomore TAFE member Camila Lusinchi said. “We’re not only a competitive club, but we’re inspiring people with the positivity in giving everyone a chance to have gifts.”
