Story by Haley Flack
On Wednesday, Dec. 16, the Strawberry Crest FFA officers delivered toys to Shriners Hospital in Tampa. The toys were collected by the agricultural students and FFA members.
As a senior at Strawberry Crest I decided I would take on the responsibility of ensuring the patients at Shriners a toy-filled Christmas.
Christmas is a time when many families come together to celebrate the past and the future. Although it may be possible for some, the patients and families being cared for at Shriners Hospital for Children don’t have the same privilege as most do. This is what crossed the mind of my fellow students in the Strawberry Crest FFA Chapter, who decided something needed to be done to help the families of the patients in any way that they could.
We decided that a toy drive would be most successful in doing so. I made calls to the hospital and conducted research to figure out what exactly the hospital could accept and when the best time to accept donations was.
We began the toy drive in early October with a goal in mind of only 30 toys per class in the Agricultural Education Department at Strawberry Crest High School. With the drive only lasting a total of two months, we were surprised to receive over 400 toys in total to donate to the children at Shriners.
“I was so shocked to receive the amount of toys that we did," Raelyn Hudson, a fellow officer, said. "With a goal of only 30 toys per class I never expected this great of a turnout. It filled the chapter with joy knowing that we could bring happiness to those in need at Christmas time.”
The officer team delivered two truck loads of toys to Shriners.
“It was an eye-opening experience, walking in and seeing the smiles on the children’s faces," Kasey Locke, vice president of Strawberry Crest’s FFA chapter, said. "It really helped us realize how blessed we were to be able to spend Christmas time with our families.”
“The toys make a huge impact because it makes the kids feel less afraid and relaxed," Cheryl Kramar, registered nurse of the Beachcombers Unit at Shriners said. "It makes the children feel less anxious about the surgeries and take their mind off the reason that they are here. They look forward to playing with the toys after surgery.”
It was great to be able to say that I started the idea of a toy drive. It really meant a lot to be able to see the happiness in the eyes of those at the hospital.