Spread holiday cheer and make a difference this season at Long Beach City College by donating to the Annual Toy Drive from Nov. 12 to Dec. 13 to bring joy to student parents in need with donations that can help brighten the holidays for families on campus.
The toy drive is aimed at supporting student-parents on campus which offers a helping hand to those juggling academics and family responsibilities, ensuring that their children experience the joy and magic of the holidays.
The drive is gifting toys for ages newborn to 17 years old, asking for them to be new and unwrapped to distribute to their student-parents in need.
The drive is being run by Calworks, CARE, and Basic Needs collectively to gather both presents and even monetary donations to their cause.
Many student-parents balancing school and family will experience a little less stress this holiday season thanks to donation stations located across both campuses for easy drop off.
The TTC locations include the CalWorks Office in GG-217 and the Student Union in EE-102.
The LAC hosts 3 locations, the First Year Experience (FYE) Center in B-203, the Basic Needs Office in B-103, and Human Resources in T-1045.
The FYE Center had success coaches Christine Tran, Franklin Andres and Jennifer Cortez who took charge of the toy drive.
Christine Tran is a student success coach intern that just graduated from UC Irvine with her bachelors in counseling and now she is attending USC master of education in educational counseling program to become a counselor for community colleges.
“The toy drive means a lot to me because when I was in highschool I did this also helping families with low income and I really enjoy the feeling of happiness kids and students get when they receive all the donations,” Tran said.
Franklin Andres is the male success initiative and student success coach that helps men of color find belonging and identity by mentoring directly with student aid and opportunities.
“I really want to give purpose to the toy drive this year for the student parents that need to alleviate stress and need that boost of hope that their holiday will be full of joy with the donations,” Andres said.
Jennifer Cortez is in her first year as a student success coach and is highly motivated to get as many donations for the toy drive and wants to spread the word to as many people as she can.
“I want to encourage all students who can afford to donate gifts, even unwrapped gifts at your home please stop by so we can make families happy and help our Viking family reach our goals,” Cortez said.
The toy drive is made to make a meaningful difference in the lives of student parents on campus and ensure that their children can experience the joy of the holidays.