With winter break right around the corner, the annual holiday toy drive is back! Mr. Alessi, Prep’s Legal Studies teacher, is leading the drive to collect toys for the TOYS FOR TOTS organization, which aids kids who are less fortunate during the holidays. Mr. Alessi was able to offer a little bit of his time to answer a few questions:
TBO: Why do you organize the toy drive each year?
Mr. Alessi: There is a special magic to Christmas morning that never left me. To this day one of my favorite memories is waking up one Christmas morning running to the tree and seeing every single Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle figure ever made, just lined up under the tree waiting for me to play with. It was pure magic to me as a young kid. It’s what made Santa so real and made me believe there’s true
magic in the world. I mean at night there was nothing, we go to bed being told this magical person is going to sweep the globe and give toys to good boys and girls and then we wake up and there’s gifts, toys, and treats under our trees which appear, well, like magic. And once I became a parent, I realized how much work goes into that one morning. But I also realized how worth it it all is because we get to pass that magic on to our own kids and let them think there’s specialness in this world. That got me thinking about kids who are less fortunate than I was growing up or my kids are now. And it broke my heart to realize many children do not experience that magic and I knew I was going to do whatever I could to help spread that feeling to as many families as I could. When I saw Toys for Tots, I immediately knew I was going to start a drive because I just wanted to help make Christmas special for as many people as possible. I wanted all parents to see that look of joy, love, and happiness on their kids’ faces on Christmas morning.
TBO: How does this toy drive make a difference?
Mr. Alessi: It just spreads joy. I know very much what it is like to see disappointment on your child’s face because you couldn’t do something for them. No one wants to see their child disappointed, especially on Christmas. Because the idea isn’t that mom and dad bought me a present, the idea is that Santa gave me one because I was good, and my goodness earned it. If we can help even just one family avoid their child feeling like Santa was disappointed in them or thought they were bad, then we did an amazing thing. We made that family feel better and we made that child feel amazing. That joy spreads and it’s never more joyous than on Christmas morning. Donating toys and spreading that joy just seems like the right thing to do.
TBO: How many toys has Prep collected over the last few years?
Mr. Alessi: I am blown away by the donations we receive every year. I know that just within the last few years of doing this we have collected over 500 toys, which means we have helped over 250 children [two gifts per child] feel special and loved on Christmas morning. We’re keeping Santa’s magic alive, and I hope we can do it for hundreds more over the years.
For more information, or to donate, see Mr. Alessi in Room 312. The deadline is Dec. 15. Here are the toy guidelines:
- Unwrapped new toys
- Toys for all ages
- NO USED TOYS
- NO STUFFED ANIMALS
- NO GIFT CARD
