Central’s Toy-A-Thon – an outreach to the community of Salina to ensure children who might not receive gifts have presents to open during the holidays – is under way.
The student council-organized event asks students to donate toys or cash toward the effort.
Stuco adviser Lizzie Eades, the overseer of the event, said the group found a creative way to motivate students to participate.
“We hold a competition between ELOs on who can bring in the most donations within the time frame provided,” Eades said.
The ELO which donates the most will receive a pizza party during ELO on Dec. 15. The ELO which donates the second most will receive donuts. The winners will be announced on Dec. 12.
Every dollar is equal to one point. The toys being donated will be one to five points depending on the type.
Stuco members take care of the day-to-day work of gathering donations, Eades said.
“Each day, Stuco students go and collect and we keep track of leaders,” Eades said.
The senior officers play a crucial role in helping, Eades said.
For the past four years, the Toy-A-Thon has partnered with 99KG, which organizes the event. Shane McClintock of 99KG handles the distribution of the collected toys to various groups within the Salina community.
“Our senior officers will then go and shop using the cash donations and then take the donations to Shane and his team,” Eades said. “Groups such as Big Brothers Big Sisters receive a portion of the donations.”
Whether donating money or toys, Central students give the gift of a memorable Christmas morning to a child in need in Salina.
