Our enthusiastic senior school charity group, Amicus, organised the launch of the annual Toys and Teens Appeal for Reading Family Aid in Collect on Friday 14th November.
The appeal encourages members of the Leighton Park community to donate toys and gifts to those in the local area who would otherwise be unlikely to receive presents from their parents or elsewhere. With referrals for the recipients gathered from agencies working with families in need across Reading, the charity aims to provide 4-8 gifts per child, and is reliant on the generosity of organisations like Leighton Park, to ensure sufficient donations are received. Last year we collected over 300 toys and donated £150 to the charity. We have been supporting this appeal for over five years and Leighton Park is a collection point for the local area, making it possible for many people to donate new or ‘as new’ toys.
Laura Windisch, Secretary to Reading Family Aid and Manager of the Toys and Teens appeal commented: “We expect to support some 2,500 disadvantaged children in Reading with Christmas presents this year. Of these, about half will be aged between 10 and 16 years old. It would be so good if the always-generous Leighton Park School community could donate gifts that they themselves would like to receive, to put smiles on the faces of these older children, as we often don’t receive enough gifts for this age group.”
Maiya (Lower Sixth), who is helping to organise the initiative within school, reflected: “Getting involved in the Toys and Teens appeal is a really important and easy way to give back to others. This school is in a really privileged position where we can organise initiatives like these and dropping of a gift is an easy way to use that privilege to help others. I chose to get involved with Amicus last year because I think that giving back to the community, especially in a school like this, is a really important aspect of what LP does. It is also a really fun way of getting to know others and helping organise school events.”
Mayor of Reading, Councillor Dr Alice Mpofu-Coles, explained why it’s important to support the appeal: “There’s a lot of hidden poverty in Reading. This charity is very important in our town. It donates all sorts of toys to children during Christmas who need it, and it alleviates the stresses from families who can’t afford toys. We need your donations, we need families to be supported, this is a crucial charity in doing that as we go into Christmas.”
If you would like to give happiness to a child this Christmas please donate to the Leighton Park Toys and Teens Appeal by bringing your donations to Old School Reception between Friday 14th November and Monday 8th December. All new or ‘as new’ toys are gratefully received but if you would like some guidance, please see the gift suggestions from Reading Family Aid.
Take the next step by selecting an option below, or if you want to drop us a quick message, you can do so with the form.
Δ