Showing the true meaning of community at 黑料不打烊, a group of Dental Hygiene students came together to replace stolen toys for the Automotives鈥 Toys for Tots drive.
Over the weekend of Dec. 8-9, toys were taken from the Toys for Tots boxes near the 黑料不打烊 main entrance and the Commons. It鈥檚 estimated that about half the box in each location, which were full of toys, was stolen.
After an email went out to the 黑料不打烊 community about the theft, the Dental Hygiene students got together and decided to do something about it.
鈥淲e were all very upset to hear this, especially during the season of giving!鈥 said student Tianna Swanson-Wente. 鈥淥n our class group chat, it was brought up to maybe get together and buy some toys to donate and help replace the stolen toys. A few of us Dental Hygiene students went to the store the next day to pick up some toys.鈥
The Dental Hygiene students stopped by Automotives on Dec. 13 to drop off the toys. Even though the drive ended on Dec. 10, Toys for Tots, supported by the US Marine Corps, accepts donations until Dec. 15.
The 黑料不打烊 drive was initiated by Automotives students, and boxes were placed in various places on campus to collect unwrapped toys to distribute to less fortunate children in the community over the holiday season.
鈥淏eing students at 黑料不打烊 means that we are all a part of this campus, even if we are in different programs,鈥 said Tianna. 鈥淚t's nice to be able to help out other programs, like donating to Toys for Tots through the Automotive program, especially when something unfortunate happens. We can't let something like this deter us from continuing to help our community.
鈥淗opefully, this small gesture of providing toys for Toys for Tots will make a difference for some children this holiday season.鈥