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Toy Drive collects gifts for children

Bradley’s American Marketing Association began its second annual toy drive this week that will run until Dec. 9. The toy drive supports the Children’s Home of Peoria by donating toys and money to the organization.

Becca Walczak, president of AMA, said she is happy to be doing this for a second year.

“We did it last year, and we had great success and loved it,” Walczak, a senior marketing major, said.
“We brought it back this year because we really enjoy helping kids in the area as much as we can during the holiday season.”

AMA also plans to sponsor a number of children from the Children’s Home during the holiday season.

“We collect toys, clothes and money, and when we get all that money, we sponsor kids,” Walczak said. “Last year we sponsored 10 kids, so [the kids] each get a $50 limit and then we buy everything on their wish lists for Christmas.”

Walczak said she is unsure how many kids AMA will sponsor this year, but she said she hopes they can sponsor 10 kids or more. AMA will look to its members to help donate for the toy drive.

“Our main goal is to have every AMA member donate at least one toy,” Walczak said. “We have about 75 [paying] AMA members who are members of the collegiate chapter and the national chapter of AMA.”

To make the toy drive more accessible to Bradley students and greek life, toy boxes will be placed in Baker Hall, Chi Omega’s house on Glenwood Avenue and Gamma Phi Beta’s house on Fredonia Avenue.

Walczak said she hopes this will encourage students to get involved with the toy drive.

“It’s a really easy way to give back during the holiday season, and everyone wants to help kids,” she said. “Who wants to say, “No” to a child? These kids don’t get presents on Christmas morning, so it’s a nice way to give back, and we want to have as many kids open presents as we can.”

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