Make My Day Monday: A Toy Makes A Difference

Just before Thanksgiving, I received an e-mail from one of my co-workers, requesting help collecting toys for sick children.  Lots of organizations do this every holiday, including my beloved Los Angeles Kings, but this request touched my heart when I learned the story behind it.  In the interest of privacy, I'm leaving out names and other details and paraphrasing the story, but I feel compelled to share it.

My co-worker and her daughter collected toys to donate to Children's Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) one Christmas, and the little girl had so much fun she asked her mother if they could do it every year.  But one Christmas was all she would have.  She became seriously ill the month after Christmas and ended up in the hospital.   During her stay, she received a visit from hospital services with a gift -- one of the very toys she had collected herself.  Her sisters received gifts as well, but her mother got the biggest gift of all --  a priceless smile from her daughter and a chance for her to forget about being sick for just a little while.  And she remembers her daughter's smile every holiday, because memories are what she has left.  Sadly, the little girl passed away, but her mother continues her legacy by collecting toys every Christmas to donate to CHLA and UCLA.

She was kind enough to include a recommended list of toys in her e-mail, so I happily printed it and headed out to Target after work.    It was the most fulfilling shopping I've done in a long time.

I can't WAIT for these to get delivered!

So when you see folks in your community collecting toys for the holidays, remember there are real children out there in need of a smile at Christmas, and you can help give it to them.  A toy CAN make a difference.  Sometimes, it makes all the difference.