In preparation for the event, students from the French Club participated in a gift-wrapping session. During this session, which took place on December 7, students assembled small individual packages to gift to the underprivileged children during the event.
French Club continues its annual tradition of giving back during the holidays
Neha Muppidi
Staff Writer
On December 22, 2016, French Club held its annual Toys for Tots event, during which the club visits underserved schools in FUSD..
The club had been preparing for the event since mid-December, holding a gift-wrapping session during which club members created individual presents for the underprivileged students. At the event, members of French Club wore holiday-themed costumes and distributed gifts to local unprivileged preschoolers and kindergarteners. This year the club visited six different schools: Cabrillo, Durham, Glankler, Blacow, Hyman, and Grimmer.
“[Toys for Tots] was a really heartwarming experience since we made the children visibly happy,” Club Treasurer Juliana Wu (11) said.
After handing out gifts, volunteers dressed up as Santas and elves spent time with the children and talked to them.
“The teachers were really nice and kept reminding us that they were thankful for our efforts to brighten up the kids’ holidays,” Club Upper-Grade Representative Abhishek Handigol (11) said. “They provided us with snacks and made sure we were comfortable and had whatever we needed for the event.”
Even with the necessary supplies, the event wasn’t perfect. The event’s many participants and different locations caused slight confusion for underclassmen who had never participated in Toys for Tots before and did not know what to expect.
“The event and schedule during the event was somewhat hectic because there were so many people involved,” club member Ann Martin (9) said. “This was my first experience with Toys for Tots so my friends and I felt kind of lost at times.”
However, even with the stress that arose with the event and its preparations, club members
were glad to bring holiday cheer to underserved children and to directly impact the community.
“Despite the stressful planning, Toys for Tots was one of the most rewarding events I have ever been a part of,” Club President Anisa Benamira-Dod (11) said.
Eagle Era 