Toys filled two classrooms at John A Logan College as part of the Poshard Foundation's annual toy give away to area social service agencies.
Kasey Bonner is looking through tables full of toys at John A Logan college to fill out her list for a 14 year old boy. She works at Centerstone helping children in foster care.
This is the 5th year she's taken part in this holiday tradition giving toys to abused, abandoned, and neglected children throughout southern Illinois. The give away is organized by the Poshard Foundation. Organizations like Centerstone come with a list of children they're trying to help. Then they look through tables and tables of new toys, picking 3 for each child on their list.
She says she's seen how this act makes a big difference in the children's lives, "If you take the time to look for something that they've got on their mind and mean something to them and just makes the day better. Just makes them feel better."
Ginger Smith has worked for DCFS for 22 years. An interaction she had with two foster children last year remind her how these gifts impact the lives of children, "we ended up getting some used, but they were newer toys. And the little boy jumped up and said, there really is a Santa Claus. You know, so he'd never gotten Christmas presents, and he was seven."
This year's original plan was to provide toys to 700 kids. The program received enough support to buy 2400 toys - allowing them to serve 800 kids.
Planning for the event began in April. The Poshards say this can't happen without the help of donors. Their largest donor is Ameren who provided $10 thousand. The Jackson-Williamson County Sunset Rotary Club provided money and volunteers to help with Thursday's event.
Jo and Glenn Poshard added the toy drive to the work done by their foundation to help children who are hurting from the trauma in their lives.
Jo Poshard share why it means so much to her, "These kids coming through have already suffered abuse, abandonment, neglect. Plus, they're not on anybody's list for Christmas."
And Glenn explains what this means to the children, "You know, to have brand new toys for them. It's just an amazing thing.It's180 degrees different than what they've been used to in their life."
Giving these gifts brings a joy to Bonner when she's doing her job, "
