Laid out in front of the kids is what, to unknowing eyes, might look like a toys shop. All kinds of trinkets and games are piled across tables for kids to have their pick. Due to their health, these kids spend their holidays at the Dell’s Children’s Hospital, yet they have the opportunity to experience traditional holiday normalcy through gifts sponsored by the band department’s toy drive.
Led by senior Sebastien Patel, the band department is collecting toy donations in support of Dell Children’s Medical Center. In addition to the band department, students across a variety of clubs and organizations such as NHS, Literary Club, and FCCLA are leading efforts to make an impact on the community this holiday season, holding toy drives, book drives and encouraging students to participate in community service events this time of year.
“Christmas and the holiday season is the season of giving,” senior and NHS treasurer Sarah Benedict said. “A lot of people struggle during Christmas time because it is a lot. You have to buy a lot of presents, it’s busy, it gets cold. [In] these months where finances are kind of tighter for a lot of families, it’s important to give back and help families have good holidays who otherwise would not be able to have that chance.”
Patel, in partnership with NHS, encouraged members of the organization to donate items to the toy drive for potential service task points. In order to garner support for the drive, Patel has also promoted the event on the school community Instagram and other social media platforms.
“The band program has gotten tons of support from the community and I thought that this would be a great way to give back,” Patel said. “Families and children that are sick at the hospital aren’t able to get home in the comfort of their own bed and have a Christmas tree. Instead, Dell Children’s receives a bunch of toys and donations, and they lay them all out and kids essentially go mall shopping. I thought that starting a toy drive would be a great way to support such a vital organization.”
The toy drive is accepting items for all ages from infants and toddlers to adolescents. The last day to make donations for the toy drive will be Dec. 13.
“I hope [the toys] will brighten their day in the holiday season and inspire them,” Patel said. “I’m hoping that the fact that [the kids] see tons of people wanting to support them and realizing what they’re going through will inspire them not only to get better but also give them courage. I know being sick in the hospital can be scary.”
This year, Patel implemented an Amazon Wish list where people living outside of the school’s vicinity could support the cause even from long distances. So far, the drive has raised 500 toys to donate to the medical center.
“It’s been an amazing response,” Patel said. “Although that’s a large number, I’d say that’s not really the important part. The important part is that my younger brother will be carrying this on, and after he starts it someone else will take it and it will become a tradition not only in the band program, but in the school itself. Hopefully that means it won’t only be 500 toys I’ve raised, but thousands of toys that the school has raised over numerous years to come.”
The band department is not the only one supporting children in need this year, however. The Literary Lounge club is holding a book drive to donate to Martin Luther King Jr. Day Of Service Book Drive. Although this event does not end until January, the club has decided to begin taking donations during the holidays.
“A main thing about our club is sharing literary information and getting as many readers as we can, [and] supporting them,” junior and Literary Lounge co-president Jackie Mendoza said. “One of the main things for this club is just increasing access to books. We decided to do a holiday [book drive] because it’s the spirit of giving. So really, [we’re] just trying to expand the amount of access that people have to books.”
Donation boxes for the Literary Lounge’s holiday book drive can be found along the English hallway’s walls. Books of all types are accepted as long as they are in good condition and have school-appropriate content.
“I really hope [this book drive] raises awareness that a lot of the time we think of just the necessities like food and clothes and stuff like that,” Mendoza said. “But there’s such an importance in learning through books and that type of media. I hope, through this drive, that it’s more at the forefront of people’s minds, and they think about that more often.”
On top of donation drives, other clubs are focusing on service for the community. Key Club is one of them, with their yearly service project to Longhorn Village, where students can write holiday cards addressed to the residents.
“A lot of the people that live in the Longhorn village don’t really have families anymore, are disconnected from them for whatever reason, or they are unable to see their families during holiday season,” Senior and Key Club service Vice President Tyler Lowe said. “As we know, the holiday season is usually a time where you’re able to go and see family and a lot of the people at the Longhorn village are immobile, or they’re physically unable to go see their family. So we’re [writing] the cards so that they can kind of have that connection.”
In addition, Key Club, NHS, and other service-centered organizations will be participating in the school-wide Central Texas Food Bank donation drive in order to collect non-perishable goods that can be given to families in need. Each student can donate a good into their club’s box outside of the library.
“During the holidays, it’s kind of a stereotype that it’s a season of giving,” sophomore and Key Club class representative Brooke Oatman said. “So, I think it’s just really important to make sure everybody has food, and especially a lot of the times during the holidays it gets cold, so making sure everybody likes stays warm. If we show [the community] that there are opportunities they’re able to partake in, maybe it will inspire them to do it, or maybe a friend will do it and share how good it feels to volunteer and to know that you’ve helped someone. I think that will honestly make our community better, because more people will feel the love that comes with volunteering.”
