As families decorate their Christmas trees and stores begin selling gifts and decorations, it is safe to say that the most wonderful time of the year is quickly approaching.
While this season is known for gingerbread, eggnog and gifts, it is also the season of giving. At Texas A&M University-Kingsville (TAMUK), students and staff were given the opportunity to give back by donating toys for the 2018 TAMUK Toys for Tots Drive.
The Toys for Tots Drive is an annual drive put on by the Campus Activities Board (CAB) and the Office of Student Activities. Members of the TAMUK community are encouraged to donate unwrapped toys for children of all ages.
For student organizations who participated in the drive, the one that donated the most toys will receive a $150 sponsorship from CAB. Students and faculty and staff were also given the chance to win prizes as each toy donated will enter their name in a raffle.
However, this is not only what the drive is about. As Loreal Robertson, the assistant director of Student Activities believes, the drive gives TAMUK an opportunity to give back to the community.
“We have all been given something at one point in our lives and Toys for Tots is a way to pay it forward to the children here in the Kingsville community. So many families and kids benefit from the donations that students, faculty and staff contribute. I’m an advocate of giving back to causes larger than ourselves and this is one way where students can be servant leaders and participate in a philanthropic event. It’s always better to give than to receive,” Robertson said.
The toys donated each year are presented at the annual Tree Lighting Ceremony. This year’s ceremony was held on Nov. 27 in front of College Hall. At the event, people deliver their donations. Toys for Tots representatives also attend the event.
When announcing the Christmas Tree Lighting event, the local Toys for Tots coordinators thanked TAMUK.
“We are so thankful to TAMUK for doing this for us every year!! Y’all come out, it’s one of our favorite events,” Toys for Tots – Kleberg/Kenedy County and City of Bishop said on their Facebook page.
Once all the toys from TAMUK’s drive are collected at the end of the Tree Lighting Ceremony, the Toys for Tots representatives take the toys, which will later be given to underprivileged children in Kleberg and Kennedy counties.
TAMUK is just one of many places hosting a Toys for Tots drive across the nation. According to Marine Toys for Tots website, the organization is a nonprofit that was started by Marine Corps Reserve Major Bill Hendricks after his wife made a few homemade dolls and asked Bill to deliver them to an agency that supported underprivileged children. For 71 years, Toys for Tots has been collecting toys. In the Kenedy and Kleberg area, Toys for Tots has been collecting and giving toys to children for more than 30 years.
While the Toys for Tots Drive at TAMUK has ended, there are still other ways to give back to the community. From putting change into the Salvation Army collection boxes to donating to your local animal shelter there is still ways to give during the Christmas season. Also, Check out https://toysfortots.org/request_toys/Default.aspx to find other local Toys for Tots drives to donate to.