In an initiative that is less than a month old, a group of 20 college students has collected around 500 toys. Recently, the first lot was distributed to underprivileged children battling cancer and receiving treatment in a city hospital.
The youngsters are volunteers of Red Drops, a wing of Chennai Social Service. The team has embarked on a new initiative called Toy Collection Drive (TCD). It aims to provide toys to terminally ill children and also those who are inpatients at various government hospitals in the city.
“Most of the government hospitals don’t have a play area. And parents, bereft of hope, will not have the frame of mind to keep the child happy. TCD is an attempt to put a smile on the faces of these children,” says Jagdeesh.
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The youngsters have been spending their weekends collecting toys (both old and new), cleaning them and packing them. The toys will be distributed in packs. Each pack will have two toys. “Fur toys will not be distributed to these children. Instead, they will be given to children in slums,” says Jagdeesh.
The initiative has received a good response from households, institutions and commercial establishments. Following the distribution of the first lot, there have been calls from people across the city, requesting these volunteers to collect toys.
Now, Red Drops needs more hands. It invites volunteers to work during the weekends. Those keen on joining may call Jagdeesh at 87540 45122 / 91717 18722.
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