The LaFayette Toy Drive delivers fun to families
BY KADIE TAYLOR
THE LAFAYETTE SUN
LAFAYETTE — Taking toys to teens and tots, the LaFayette Toy Drive is collecting toys to deliver holiday cheer to those in need. Donated toys should be new and can be dropped off at the LaFayette Police Department, the LaFayette Fire Department, the Chambers County Community Health & Wellness Center and LaFayette Main Street.
“Seeing the connections that these toys were making, there’s nothing that can make a grown man cry more than seeing a little kid look up to you, regardless of what kind of uniform you’re wearing, and just that joy that they have in their eyes, because this may have been the first toy or gift that they’ve had in some time,” said Toy Drive organizer and School Resource Officer, Jacob Williams. “We were just glad to be able to be there and assist how we could.”
Williams said this is the second year for the Toy Drive, and that through community support last year, the Toy Drive helped make holiday dreams come true.
“The support from the community was very positive,” he said. “A lot of them were just saying, ‘This is something that we wish we could have had sooner.’ It was a very positive reaction from everyone… Every household, not every kid, every household received a bicycle. That was something that we were very, very proud of — that on top of the toys that the kids got, every household received at least one bicycle.”
With the help of many local organizations, city offices, volunteers and other individuals and groups, Williams said the LaFayette Toy Drive helped ensure LaFayette kids had gifts to open on Christmas.
“There’s nothing funnier than seeing a bunch of firefighters and medics sitting around and organizing all these toys for age and gender,” he said. “You can see everybody was rewarded by not necessarily purchasing the toys, but just having their hands on these toys and knowing the impact that they were going to have on some young boy or girl. I think everybody got a little bit of Christmas cheer that year. It was one of the most rewarding things that I’ve done, really, in my law enforcement career.”
Along with working with local organizations and volunteers, Williams said the LaFayette Toy Drive worked with Lifesouth Blood Drives last year — and will continue to do so this year — and that locals should follow the LaFayette Police Department on Facebook to stay up to date on when and where the next blood drive will be held.
“We’ve been partnering with Lifesouth community blood drives,” he said. “And through Lifesouth, we were able to set up multiple blood drives. As long as we reached our goal of 10 donations at each of our blood drives, Lifesouth was able to provide a financial donation towards our Toy Drive.”
Williams said the LaFayette Toy Drive served over 30 families and more than 40 children and worked to communicate with locals across language barriers to gift toys for diverse ages and abilities.
“Roxy, she was a rock star,” he said. “A few of the families that we went to were not English-speaking, and she was able to bridge that gap for us through translation. We were thankful for her help, and when it comes to Christmas — Santa Claus is a universal language. So when Santa Claus shows up, it doesn’t matter if we speak two different languages. They know why we’re there… There were families from different backgrounds. Some had children with different physical capabilities, and so we were able to provide them with different types of toys, board games and things that were appropriate for that individual child.”
Through reaching the community and delivering toys to local children, Williams said the LaFayette Toy Drive had a positive impact on both the community and those who volunteered.
“I remember there was a little girl, I want to say she was at the Hosanna home,” he said. “She was going through all of her stuff that we gave her, and with each one of her items, she would pull it out, she’d be smiling from ear to ear and she would just show it to her mama. She wanted her mom to see every single toy. It was just the sweetest thing. And so I ran on that energy, that feeling from being involved with the Toy Drive and delivering those toys — that Christmas spirit, fueled me for quite some time.”
As locals begin to purchase their Christmas gifts for family and friends, Williams said grabbing an extra gift for the LaFayette Toy Drive will make a huge impact.
“If you can donate one toy that will make an impact, that is one more toy that a little boy or girl didn’t have,” he said. “Don’t stress yourselves with donating the newest, most expensive toy. A lot of these families, without donations and the Toy Drive, they’re not getting anything, period. So if you can grab a toy from your Dollar General, it doesn’t have to be the most expensive toy; it’s something for these kids, anything and everything is really appreciated.”
