Pictured above: Brianna and Terah, Club members of Boys & Girls Clubs of St. Lucie County have spearheaded an organization wide holiday toy drive through twenty clubs. The ‘Jolly Toy Love’ campaign will benefit foster children through Communities Connected for Kids.
Like most children, Brianna, 9, and Terah, 10, want toys. They don’t want just some toys. They want hundreds of toys. Brianna and Terah don’t ever want to play with these toys. Brianna and Terah are looking to make Christmas better for kids less fortunate than themselves.
Following the threats of Hurricane Dorian and seeing the devastation in the Bahamas the Clubkids of Boys & Girls Clubs of St. Lucie County at Bayshore Elementary School were introduced to philanthropy by collecting supplies for the Bahamas Relief project.
Brianna and Terah weren’t done. After seeing the success of the collection of necessities for the people of the Bahamas they wanted to direct their momentum of giving to foster children in the community by starting a holiday toy drive called 'Jolly Toy Love.'
“We had some foster kids in our Club last year and we were good friends. Their Christmas stories were much different than ours. That’s why we wanted to start collection toys,” said Brianna.
Communities Connected for Kids is the umbrella organization that will find homes within the foster services in St. Lucie County for all that is collected in the Clubs through their ‘Making Christmas Bright’ program. “We love that this was the brainchild of two Club kids which grew from their own personal relationships as members of Boys & Girls Clubs,” said Christina Kaiser, Director of Community Relations at Communities Connected for Kids the non-profit organization that oversees child-welfare services in Okeechobee and the Treasure Coast.
The young entrepreneurs of 'Jolly Toy Love' knew that if they could collect toys at all the twenty of the Clubs in St. Lucie County, instead of just their club at Bayshore Elementary School, they would be able to collect for more kids to make their Christmas bright.
“This is where the ideas start. It makes me proud that our kids are looking to do for others at such a young age. This is the seed that will make them great thirtysomethings one day and great Club Alumni,” said Will Armstead, CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of St. Lucie County.
Collections will be taken through Friday, December 6, 2019. To learn more or for a list of locations please call 772-460-9918 or visit www.bgcofslc.org.
About the Boys & Girls Clubs of St. Lucie County
Boys & Girls Clubs of St. Lucie County is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing youth with a world class Boys & Girls Club experience, assuring that success is within reach for every young person who walks through our doors, and that every Club member graduates from high school with a plan for the future, demonstrating good character and citizenship and living healthy lifestyles. The Club enables all young people, especially those who need it most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens.
With 20 locations throughout the county, Boys & Girls Clubs programs serve a diverse group of kids from grades K-12. We serve 15,000 youth throughout the year from a variety of backgrounds. Be part of something wonderful and take a tour of an area club by calling (772) 460-9918 or visiting www.bgcofslc.org or at www.facebook.com/bgcofslc.
