The holiday season is always considered a season of giving, and in spirit, the Woodbridge High School bowling team is hosting a toy drive this year. Head bowling coach Mrs. Small announced to all the gym classes in session this semester that the toy drive is open for donations from both the bowling team and any student looking to give back.
Any student who is currently in gym and brings in a new toy is given a “gym pass,” which is considered a free pass for gym class where an individual is allowed to sit out with no penalty. The toy drive will be running through the end of November and the entirety of December.
“It’s always about giving back and that’s what we strive to do. We are grateful enough to be in the position where we don’t have to worry about that, knowing that unfortunately people don’t have the same circumstances we are in, it’s nice to be able to give back to the kids.” said Mrs. Small.
About the Drive
The toy drive has become an annual tradition since 2020. The school got in contact with Greg Turfaro, founder of the Marisa Tufaro Foundation, a foundation that collects new toys and gives them to children in the hospital during the holidays. When hearing his story and finding out he named the foundation after his deceased daughter, it became immediately clear our school should donate, and the tradition began.
“Greg Tufaro runs the Marisa Tufaro Foundation, and it was founded for his daughter who passed away. This is the third year we are doing it,” stated Mrs. Small. “I named the tournament for his daughter and with that, we started the toy drive.”
In hopes of making the toy drive a bigger success, Mrs. Small came up with the idea of giving out a gym pass to students who donate a brand new toy. The pass is valid for one block during this semester and allows a student to sit out without getting points taken off their grade. This encourages students to give to charity while rewarding them for doing so with a block of relaxation.
“A gym pass will give me time to relax instead of doing things in the gym. For me personally, going to the gym right in the morning isn’t the best sometimes,” said senior Tyler Weber. “If I can pay it forward and get out of gym, I will definitely donate.”
