During this American giving season, we find ourselves at times filled with many different types of conflicting emotions. This season is one of generosity and compassion.
A common sight in places of worship, workplaces and retail locations during this season are toy drives as a way to give back by providing gifts for those in need. They may look like a tree with tags on them that describe gifts that can be purchased or a family identified with a list of wants and needs.
Our generous hearts want to see children receive toys and special gifts. Our motivation is one of compassion and generosity.
However, put yourself in the shoes of the family of these children. How might it feel to have other people picking out gifts for your children when that is your desire to be able to do this?
Here at ICS, we often do things differently based on our values and statements of understanding. One of our statements of understanding is, as a beloved community, we approach complex issues with strong communication, collaboration, perspective, respect and active listening.
Our Holiday Toy Market is a way for us to address this complex season with respect and collaboration. Many donors graciously donate new toys to our Market each year. We then have families come and shop for these toys at discounted prices of $1-$5. Families are given the dignity and respect to shop and make choices for their children.
On the flip side, while the purpose is not to generate revenue, the proceeds that do come in from the market go directly back into the CRC pantries that supply families with uniforms, food, and hygiene items throughout the year.
This is one of our favorite family engagement events of the year!
Thank you so much to all the individuals and organizations who donated toys and allowed our families to shop with dignity this holiday season, including the Taskforce for Global Health, Elevate Health Systems, BlackRock, Ethne Health, Envision Atlanta, Bridgepoint Church, North Decatur United Methodish Church, JLL, and the Medlock Area Neighborhood Association!
Charlotte Flores, Director of Community and Culture, leads the way on community engagement and strategic partnerships at ICS, as well serving as a school counselor for our students. Her work in family engagement has been recognized at the Georgia Charter School Association, Building Hope IMPACT Summit, and the IB Global Conference.
There’s a glitch in my computer that I can’t seem to shake, so please forgive me for using this forum to communicate with Ms. Flores. I cannot click on the email button on the directory (it reverts to Outlook and auto-fills with my old work e-mail address- pesky). Let’s follow up with the sewing guild project we talked about briefly at the toy sale, where the guild could make some things…. I look forward to talking further and would like to get started so the guild can set a schedule and spread the word