COVINGTON — With your help and generosity, Toy Team 9 collected more than 3,300 toys in a matter of hours on Saturday, December 3 and raised nearly $10,000 for nine partner organizations to buy even more toys.
"To wake up and have that magic of Christmas, that somebody out there cares, Santa's dropping stuff off — it makes them feel like every other kid," said Andy Brunsman, executive director at Be Concerned, one partner organization.
There are so many Toy Team 9regulars, who donate every year, but one dedicated team member stands out.
"There's people that truly do need the help," said Cheryl Arnold, a mom of two from Hebron.
Arnold brings her now-eight-year-old daughter to donate toys to Be Concerned's Toy Team 9 location each year and has done so since the first year.
"[I do it] to teach my daughter the values of giving," Arnold said. "To instill the value of hope and the value of giving and no matter what, there's always somebody out there you can help out."
But this mother's lesson hides a secret - a lesson in humility and humanity that has left a mark on Brunsman and Be Concerned's volunteers.
"[My daughter] doesn't know that I get help, receive help as well," she said. "So having her do it, shows her that we're helping other people and trying to teach her the value of that."
This week, Arnold visited Be Concerned's Pike Street pantry and Christmas Shop, picking out gifts for her girls (8 and 15 months) from among the donations they contributed to earlier this month.
"We picked out Polly Pockets, we picked out games for us to have family night," she said.
Arnold fell on hard times in the past couple of years and turned to the organization she knew from donating.
"I didn't know how many people that cared were out here," she said.
As Brunsman helped Arnold load her car with wrapped gifts and a box of groceries, he returned some gratitude.
"Thank you for all the support you've given us over the years and the message you try to send your kids about being a good human being and a good neighbor," he said as she prepared to drive off, a guaranteed bright Christmas morning for her girls.
"The smile on their faces, the joy, is the most best thing ever," Arnold said.
What it's all about.
Thank you for your continued support of Toy Team 9 and our partner organizations!
