Staff at Southlake are helping local families in need by donating a mountain of toys to the York Regional Police Holiday Heroes campaign.
Teams of staff, nurses, physicians and volunteers at the hospital collected new, unwrapped toys for the drive and delivered the donation on Dec. 15.
Some teams got creative in how they supported the toy drive, like the patient access team who worked it into their secret Santa gift exchange. Instead of doing a draw to buy gifts for each other, they drew names and bought a toy that they thought best represented the person to donate to Holiday Heroes.
"We know this time of year can be difficult for many and we were looking for a way to support but also have some festive fun,” said Samantha Hennigar, coordinator of patient access. "I hope someone is excited to receive Camping Barbie, based on my love of camping.”
Southlake has been participating in the annual toy drive for 10 years.
“Holiday Heroes is a staple for Southlake each year,” said Arden Krystal, president and CEO at Southlake. “It warms my heart to see the teams at Southlake coming together to demonstrate the spirit of giving and helping families in need. YRP is an important community partner and we are so pleased to be able to serve our communities together.”
Alvaro Almeida, deputy chief with York Regional Police, said they were blown away by the generosity again this year.
"Southlake’s donations will help deliver a happy holiday season to thousands of families right here in York Region. This includes families who are struggling to make ends meet, victims of human trafficking and survivors of domestic abuse, as well as their children," he said.
YRP has been able to help approximately 100,000 individuals and families in need since the program launched 26 years ago.
Friday, Dec. 16 is the last day to drop off donations for the drive. You can take new, unwrapped toys, gift cards, hygiene items or new clothing to any of the following locations:
- HQ - 47 Don Hillock Drive, Aurora
- #1 District - 429 Harry Walker Pkwy S, Newmarket
- #2 District - 171 Major Mackenzie Drive West, Richmond Hill
- #3 District - 3527 Baseline Road, Sutton
- #4 District - 2700 Rutherford Road, Vaughan
- #5 District - 8700 McCowan Road, Markham
