Posted January 7, 2002
| HOPE worldwide - Ohio collected gifts
for 2,789 children and 400 homeless adults, and raised $4,881 for the orphanages
in India during its Holiday Toy Drive, 2001. Members of the Cincinnati Church
of Christ organized a kickoff party, toy-sorting evening, and a Holiday Show
to ensure the Toy Drive's success.
Nearly 100 volunteers showed up to sort the toys: first by age group then by agency, by family and finally, per each child's request. Other volunteers then delivered the toys to local agencies and in most cases actually got to distribute the toys to the individual children. On Saturday, December 22nd, 12 HOPE worldwide volunteers served at the Babies Milk Fund clinic on Findlay St. They came ready to spread Christmas cheer to children and families in downtown Cincinnati. Hundreds of toys were donated by HOPE worldwide - Ohio and generously given by our own Santa Claus (Gillie Collins)! It was encouraging to watch the smiles on the faces of the children as Santa gave them their Christmas wishes. There were plenty of drinks, cookies, and crafts (snowflakes donated by Paul and Patty Anderson) for the children to make. Thanks to the clinic's coordinator, Angela Coleman for the opportunity to serve and make a very special Christmas for the kids! One nurse who serves 70 needy families in the Deer Park area told the story of a man who, when she called him to say that there would be toys for his children this year, cried and said, "Who is it? Who would give toys to my kids?" She didn't say, but I know who would give toys to his kids: the employees at Convergys and the disciples in the Cincinnati Church of Christ would. In addition to bringing toys for needy children, the Cincinnati Church's Kingdom Kids contributed an average of $50 each week in December toward a gift for the Indian orphanages. Then during a single, Sunday worship service, the members of the church gave more than $4,400 to the collection for the orphanages. "It just seemed like it was time to reach beyond our local needs with the Toy Drive," explained John Quigley. "One of our HOPE volunteers had gone to India last year, so we decided to collect money for the kids in the orphanages at the same time as we collected toys for our local kids." And so, with extremely joyful hearts, the HOPE worldwide - Ohio volunteers have wrapped up the Holiday Toy Drive 2001 and are already making plans for 2002. |
The coup de gras for
the toy drive in Cincinnati, each year since 1996, has been the involvement
of a local business, Convergys. The Toy Drive project Manager, John Quigley
II, a former Convergys employee, has maintained a relationship with several
of his former colleagues. As a result, the employees on 17 floors of the
Convergys building diligently contribute to the Toy Drive fund throughout
the year and zealously battle for the title "Most Generous Floor" during
the first two weeks of December.
A small pile of toys, collected shortly after Thanksgiving, filled the corner
of the local HOPE worldwide office. By December 15, thousands of toys
covered nearly one-fourth of the lower auditorium of the Cincinnati Church
of Christ building.