The Delaware Valley Legacy Fund’s third-annual TOY returns this year and is expected to draw a record number of guests, whose generosity will have a direct impact on local youth living with HIV/AIDS.
The toy drive will be held from 7-10 p.m. Dec. 4 in the Marc Phillips Showroom at Marketplace Design Center, 2400 Market St. Each guest is asked to bring one unwrapped non-plush toy, which will be donated to the pediatric HIV/AIDS Unit at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
TOY committee co-chair Joseph Matthews said the toy drive, which also functions as a fundraiser for DVLF, has experienced big gains each year.
The inaugural 2007 event drew about 125 people, garnered 150 toys and raised $2,000 for DVLF, while last year’s drive attracted 400 people who brought 550 toys and raised $13,000. Matthews said he anticipates between 600-700 people will turn out for TOY 2009, and DVLF hopes to bring in about 1,000 toys and close to $30,000.
In an effort to heighten attendance, DVLF recently launched a public-service announcement on Comcast, and fliers and advertisements announcing the event will hit local storefronts and organizations within the next few days.
Matthews said he was initially worried that last month’s departure of DVLF executive director Perry Monastero could pose an obstacle to the event, but added the subsequent appointment of Sandra Thompson and Chris Bartlett as interim co-executive directors eased his mind.
“It did add a little stress because Perry played such a large role in terms of the administrative help for what DVLF provides for the event, but as soon as Sandra and Chris were given the jobs as interim executive directors, all of those worries went away. They’re both extremely strong in where their talents lie, so I actually felt like we gained a person.”
The TOY committee began canvassing for sponsors and drumming up support for the 2009 event shortly after last year’s drive and are ahead of the game, Matthews said.
Last year’s TOY drew cash and in-kind sponsorships of more than $1,000 each from 35 organizations; already, the committee has garnered that same level of sponsorship from 60 groups.
Matthews said DVLF and CHOP are both very excited about the contribution of one sponsor, Sony PlayStation, who has agreed to donate a PlayStation 3 and more than a dozen video games to the HIV/AIDS Unit.
“That’s going to go right in the lobby of the unit so when the kids have to go there, this will be something fun for them to do, and it’ll be especially good for when the parents have to talk to the doctors to keep the kids occupied,” Matthews said. “That was a huge addition this year.”
This also marks the first year that TOY guests can purchase their toy donations directly through DVLF’s Web site. Matthews said the agency attempted to launch this feature last year but was thwarted by technical problems.
Guests who wish to purchase their donations online are taken to Target’s Web site to browse a wish list created by the staff at CHOP’s HIV/AIDS Unit.
“It’s a really good list developed by the people who actually know what the children need. There are a lot of fun, cute things that everybody has fun buying, but there are also things like clothes that people may not think to get but that these kids might need,” Matthews said.
The children served by the unit range to age 17, but Matthews said the hospital is most in need of gifts for infants and adolescents.
The items will be distributed at a holiday party Dec. 11.
“Unless you’ve seen the impact of HIV/AIDS on families, it’s really hard to understand,” Thompson said. “Holidays are a very difficult time. Money’s short, but children still want what they want, and they don’t always understand that their parents may not have the money because they need it for some other purpose, like medication, rent or food.”
Thompson encouraged members of the LGBT community to come out for the event and do their part to ensure that children battling HIV/AIDS can still find joy in their holidays.
“Buying a toy and bringing it to this event means that a child will have a gift for Christmas that they may not otherwise have,” she said. “We’ll be coming together with a group of people who feel the same way, who are compassionate, interested and supportive of Children’s Hospital and the children and families supported through this.”
Tickets to TOY are $30 and can be purchased by visiting www.dvlf.org.
Jen Colletta can be reached at [email protected].