Since 2012 the Students in Action has collected toys for children through program called Toys for Tots.
Toys for Tots, created by the U.S. Marine Corp., has the goal to collect new, unwrapped toys during October, November and December each year, and distribute those toys as Christmas gifts to less fortunate children in the community.
Miloody Vincent, the president of the SIA, and Tiwalayo Eisape, Vice President, have made daily announcements at convocation about the drive for toys for Christmas. As the year slowly comes to end, they ask for contributions every day hoping more people will help give someone else a Christmas.
Last year Tiwalayo had the idea to contribute to Toys for Tots; SIA collected more than three hundred toys with one hundred of that from students. Tiwalayo explained that the goal is to give Christmas to all the children who don’t experience it. “Christmas for all,” Tiwalayo said. “Everyone deserves a gift.”
He also said it’s not about the value of the toys, but about students having the joy of giving and also children having the joy of receiving.But this year students have not collected as much as last year. About twenty toys were placed in the box outside Conlin Auditorium.
Some of the toys come from outside of the school. SIA also has a box set up at Trinitas hospital clinic, where employees donate toys.
The SIA has only one goal, to “collect as many toys as we can for kids who don’t have,” SIA moderator Linda Poveda said.