Bellaire Beating Hearts concludes toy drive

On Nov. 21, Bellaire Beating Hearts concluded its toy drive for the Texas Children’s Hospital. The club started its collection on Sept. 22. In just two months, the club collected 84 toys that will be given to children in the hospital during the holidays.

The purpose of the club is to raise awareness of chronic illnesses through drives and to help fundraise for hospitals. President of Bellaire Beating Hearts junior Sena Sarikaya talked about the process in setting up the toy drive.

“We contacted Texas Children’s Hospital and told them that we wanted to collect toys for them,” Sarikaya said. “All we had to do was collect the toys and give the toys to them a decent time before the holidays, so they can make sure the toys are proper for the kids when they hand them out in the holiday times.”

Members of the club worked to spread awareness of the toy drive in hopes that they would receive donations from students who were not members of Bellaire Beating Hearts. Many decorative posters were made providing information about the toy drive as well as several announcements throughout October and November. The donations ranged from board games and puzzles to DVDs and Fisher Price toys.

“It’s been two months since we started the toy drive,” Sarikaya said. “A very large amount of toys was donated, and all of that was on students’ will. Some teachers gave extra credit for donating toys, but not many.”

Club meetings are held biweekly in room 231. The club’s next event is Project Santa on Dec. 6.