Supporters of the Christina-Taylor Green Memorial Toy Drive are working to ensure that the holidays remain the most wonderful time of the year for Tucson kids battling illness, as well as their families.
“This is what we do," said Roxanna Green, who spearheads the annual toy drive to honor her daughter who was killed at age 9 during the shooting of Gabby Giffords in 2011. "Some people have golf tournaments or 5K walks, but Christina belonged to Kids Helping Kids, which helped those who were less fortunate, and she loved I ... and we did food drives and adopted families through church. This is age-appropriate and I know she is proud of the fact that we do this to give back."
Supporters of the Annual Christina-Taylor Green Memorial Holiday Toy Drive (pictured above last year) hope to collect 10,000 new, unwrapped toys, books and Amazon or Target gift cards at Buckelew Farm Christmas Tree Lots citywide through Sunday, Dec. 14.
Green emphasized that there are no middlemen or salaries involved in the all-volunteer toy drive. She and her husband, John, and their son, Dallas, hope to deliver at least $10,000 worth of toys and books to the hospital. She is grateful for the support that the community has offered over the past 15 years and said that the tradition has become a great source of friendship and joy for her family.
“There are so many friends who donate to us and these small local businesses are so kind to put out boxes for us, including our friends at Buckelew. They cover a lot of territory and make it easy to just roll up and drop off a toy or book,” she said.
They hope that the toy drive also helps to promote awareness of the importance of Banner Children’s to the community.
“Diamond Children’s was unfortunately where she went to heaven and they were so good to us. They are a wonderful medical team and so many of the employees volunteer their time when I drop off the toys, which they need all year round,” said Green.
