Time to give
Parents and students at Oasis Elementary School stepped up to the plate Tuesday morning.
The school partnered with the Cape Coral Police Department to host a toy drive, collecting new unwrapped toys for foster families in Southwest Florida. Officers joined the school’s faculty at the parent drop-off line to collect the donations and to greet the students as they arrived for the day.
Chris Achilles dropped off his children, Talan, 10, and Logan, 8, with sports equipment.
“It’s to help other kids,” he said of why his family donated.
Achilles noted that they try to take part in drives when possible.
Monica Brown handed over LEGO Star Wars play sets and a pack of Uno playing cards with her daughter, Emma, 8. She explained that her family helped out because it is the right thing to do.
“It’s good for her to donate to the kids,” Brown said.
Oasis Elementary Principal Donnie Hopper echoed that sentiment.
“It’s great for our kids,” he said.
“Real life lessons that they get from giving back to others is what it’s all about,” Hopper added.
He noted that the school collected donations for Toys for Tots just a few weeks ago.
“Our parents are amazing, super supportive,” Hopper said.
Nearly 300 items were collected during Tuesday’s drive, according to Jennifer Fischer, president of Foster Genies. The Cape organization supports and celebrates local foster families by offering services and providing access to resources that benefit the entire family.
It was the recipient of the donations.
“We’re just so thankful,” she said. “I can’t emphasize that enough.”
“We love the charter schools and the Cape Coral Police Department is amazing,” Fischer added.
Local foster families were notified to stop by the organization that evening.
“They’ll get to come and pick out toys for free,” she said.
Fischer noted that a donation drive on Saturday resulted in hundreds of clothing items.
“We want to pair the toys with the new clothing for the families,” she said.
As far as the toys, Fischer was surprised at the donations.
“Just really all very popular toys,” she said.
There were PAW Patrol and Trolls items, to Disney Princess toys and more.
“They range from infant to teenager,” Fischer said.
Brian Bice dropped off his children, Erin, 11, and Connor, 6, with a Hot Wheelz set.
“It’s just to help out,” he said of why the family donated to the cause.
Bice and his family have taken part in other toy drives.
“To help people that don’t have enough,” he said.
Founded in June, Foster Genies is a not-for-profit organization started by Fischer and her husband, Craig – a foster family themselves – along with her friend, Amy Pankow. The group is comprised of “Genies,” who are adult volunteers and donors, as well as the “Little Genies,” or youth volunteers.
For information, visit: www.fostergenies.org/ or on Facebook at “Foster Genies.”