As the holiday season approached, Selma High’s Toy Story Club teamed up with the SUSD mental health team to host an annual winter toy drive alongside FFA. The toy drive took place on campus and lasted from November 17th to December 10th.
Senior Joana Perez, who is the President and Founder of the Toy Story Club, which centers around bringing joy to the children of our community, thought that being a part of hosting the toy drive was an incredible way for her Club to get involved.
Joana shares that in total, all the groups were able to accumulate 223 toys for the drive. Five bikes were also donated by people in the community.
Students were able to support the cause by dropping off toys to the Club advisor’s rooms, Mrs. Carrillo and Mr. Alvarez.
“The best part about hosting this toy drive was seeing how the members of our Club were so involved and were able to donate toys and bring joy to our community,” expressed Joana.
Senior Karen Urieta, who is the Treasurer of the Toy Story Club, said that her favorite part of the toy drive was getting to wrap all the presents that were donated.
“It was so heartwarming to see all of the accumulated gifts, especially knowing it’s coming from students,” stated Karen.
When asked how the toy drive has impacted the community for the better, Karen mentioned that the drive was a big stepping stone to building a more involved community dedicated to spreading positivity.
“I would say the toy drive impacted the community in such a positive way, with all the toys donated and involvement from people to help the kids in need. Especially during the holidays, when everyone deserves some kindness from others, such as a toy,” said senior Haylee Hurtado, who is Vice President of the Toy Story Club.
Seeing the extensive impact the toy drive has made on the community, the members of the Club are motivated to become involved in more helpful cause events.
“The toy drive inspires me to become more involved in these kinds of events,” shared Karen. “There are so many Clubs on campus that are positively impacting the community. The Toy Story Club, in particular, is really mindful of the impact it’s making.”
As for other activities, the Club is planning another toy drive in the spring.
Lastly, Haylee adds that the toy drive was a great success and a reflection on how even small acts of kindness can greatly impact the community for the better.
“I would just like to say that I’m so grateful to see how this newly made Club has already made such an impact on our campus and community,” mentioned Joana.
