The “Ton of Toys” program, which is done through the Butler County Children Services, has relied for more than a decade on the enthusiastic volunteers from the school.
Kendall Keller, senior at Fairfield, was among the teens happily working to make sure there is more for foster children to open on Christmas morning.
“This was so much fun with everyone getting together to accomplish something as a team and we are all so excited to help out and give back to the community,” said Keller. “It feels great.”
Nina Rose, coordinator of the program, said it is “a great opportunity for them (students) to give and look outside of themselves.”
“They enjoy doing something for someone who has nothing,” said Rose.
“Last year we received 1,007 toys from our 11 schools but this year we collected more than 1,496 toys and they are going to Butler County Children’s Services where they have a Santa Shoppe for all the foster kids in Butler County.”
The county agency “uses these toys for their annual Santa Shoppe where foster parents come and choose toys for the kids in their temporary care. They are also given to the foster children for their birthdays throughout the year and when a child requires sudden removal from their environment,” she said.
“The City of Fairfield Public Works director, Dave Butsch, loans us a salt truck every year to load our ton of toys. This event began many years ago because a student that had been in the foster care system shared with me that Christmas was a lonely and depressing time for foster kids.
“I had the mother of one of our students that just emailed me last week that said ‘I was in foster care myself, so this toy drive is very close to my heart.”
Gina Gentry-Fletcher, spokeswoman for the 10,000-student Fairfield Schools, said “Fairfield is extremely proud to serve our community because our community does so many wonderful things for our students and our staff.”
The Ton of Toys volunteer program, she said, is “an awesome way for our kids to give back.”
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