Cancer Awareness Club organizes toy drive
The holidays are supposed to be one of the most joyous times of the year, especially for children. Unfortunately, under-privileged children often do not experience this. This year, Newbury Park High School’s Cancer Awareness Club worked with Hollywood Storage to set up a toy drive for Play Conejo.
The toy drive was intended for children in the Conejo Valley who are less fortunate. Mina Nguyen, senior and president of the Cancer Awareness Club, worked very closely on the drive. “Our primary mission for the toy drive was to bring a smile to a child’s face. I think recognizing what we can do for the youth in our community is another main point that we accomplished. And it was effortless too! So spreading awareness about how simple it can be to brighten someone’s day was the goal,” Nguyen said.
In past years, the Cancer Awareness Club has donated to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. This year however, they donated to Play Conejo, a branch of Conejo Recreation and Park District. Allie Honbo, senior and publicist of the Cancer Awareness Club, reflects on the importance of donations “[Play Conejo] supports underprivileged children within our local community, so it’s awesome to be able to have a direct impact on the lives of the young kids in our own county,” Honbo said.
Donating to a more local organization makes donations more personal since they affect many children living in the Conejo Valley. “It is really heart-warming to think of the toys that these underprivileged children received over the holidays, especially since these children live locally in the Conejo Valley!” Zhang said.
Donating in a toy drive is very rewarding and easy, and it can massively improve a child’s time. The small action of donating a toy has a large impact on the happiness of a child. “Participating in a toy drive is effortless. Bringing joy and sunlight into a child’s life is the most heartwarming feeling,” Nguyen said.
