Dayton Children's Christmas Fundraiser | Photo by Brett Hull | The Wright State Guardian
Last year’s holiday toy drive through Wright State University (WSU) benefitting the Dayton Children's Hospital raked in over three thousand dollars worth of toys and cash. This year, the Neurosurgery Interest Group and Raider Pre-Health Counsel plan to donate even more.
Donations
The Neurosurgery Interest Group, the founding group of the toy drive, and Raider Pre-Health Counsel are hosting the toy drive this year.
Karley Fischer is Vice President of the Raider Pre-Health Counsel and helps with the organization of the holiday toy drive.
“As medical students…we see the children and we see their families with just an opportunity to give back and serve them through the holidays,” Fischer said.
Donations of new and unopened toys can be dropped off at White Hall at Boonshoft School of Medicine (BSOM) or the Pre-Health office in Brehm 172 from now through Dec. 11.
For safety purposes, used toys, food or candy and blankets or pillowcases are not being accepted at this time.
Alex Gilman, President of the Neurosurgery Interest Group, is helping make sure donations are all COVID-19 safe as well as monitoring the toy drive organization.
“Generally we go by the guidelines of the hospital, like Dayton children's last year had us drop off all of our donations downstairs to receive. We had a representative come in and pick them up,” Gilman said.
Donations are also accepted monetarily through the Neurosurgery Interest Group’s Venmo: @NSIG_BSOM.
The Neurosurgery Interest Group and Raider Pre-Health Counsel hope to raise $6,000 worth of donations, to double the results from last year.
Other Ways to Help
Even though students may not be able to donate monetarily or by giving toys, students can still assist in this drive and other opportunities.
There will be an event for wrapping the gifts coming up at an undetermined future date.
Spreading the word of this holiday toy drive is just as important as donating.
If one misses the date for donation for this drive, the nonprofit ‘Bears4Childrens’ will be accepting new bears from Build-A-Bear at the Fairfield Commons Mall from Dec. 8 through Dec. 22 to go to the Dayton Children’s Hospital.
“This event is great for all ages, but it’s especially great for young kids as it’s an easy and fun way for them to learn about giving back,” Callista Hess, coordinator for Bears4Childrens, said.
Bears4Childrens also accepts monetary donations, non-denominational holiday cards and drawstring bag donations.
For questions about Bears4Childrens, contact Callista Hess at hess.152@wright.edu, go to www.bears4children.com, or follow their Instagram @bears4childrens
For more information about the holiday toy drive, visit the Dayton Children’s Hospital website.
