Dunbar toy drive is a gift for children in hospital, students themselves

Drive carries on effort started by former student who has since passed away

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) – Dunbar High School students help make Christmas a little brighter for some children. And at the same time, received a gift of sorts themselves.

The students collected more than 400 — 421 to be exact — toys, puzzles and games during the last month for kids at the Kentucky Children’s Hospital

Thursday, they stuffed a KCH ambulance full with the gifts.

The hospital sets up an online Winter Wonderland for parents to pick out gifts for their sick children who are in the hospital and their siblings. It’s a way to relieve some of the parents’ stress.

“The holidays are a stressful time for children and parents. They sometimes just don’t have the time to take care of things like this. What the students have done really will help us relieve some of that stress,” explained Jennifer Guillians, the Child and Family Life coordinator at KCH, who noted the toys also will add to a stockpile that can be used throughout the year.

And the Dunbar students get the special gift of knowing they’ve created some Christmas cheer.

“We’ll always remember how much people have given to the people at the hospital and helping them and Christmas spirit, holiday spirit that’s going on. I think the holidays are a very special time and it’s perfect to give people gifts and toys and it definitely will make it special,” noted Shreya Chamdrashckar, a Dunbar sophomore who helped spearhead this year’s drive.

The toy drive at Dunbar originally was started by a student who has since died. The current students brought it back in his memory.