For more than 10 years, the volunteers at the Brockport Toy Shelf have worked to make the holidays merry for area children. Ruthann Tryka, co-coordinator of the Toy Shelf, said she took over about four years ago when the founder could no longer operate the program. "Members of the Toy Shelf were looking for someone to take over and a friend and I decided that if we didn't step forward the program wouldn't exist any longer," she said. "It's important for the kids to have at least one gift under the tree so we knew we had to keep it going." In 2003, toys and gifts were provided to 570 children from 180 families. "The gifts are given to families who have children who range in age from newborns to 17 years old," Tryka said. Fliers are sent home with students from kindergarten through fifth grade in the Brockport School District to let the parents know about the Toy Shelf. "If a family is in need, they call us, we set up an appointment to meet with them and then the night the Toy Shelf is opened, they can come and 'shop' for gifts for their children," she said. "We love that the parents can come and shop for their kids, maybe pick up a gift that was on their list. It makes it more special and personal for the family." Tryka said the need is usually greatest for gifts for the older teenagers. "We usually have more teen aged children in need of gifts than we do newborns," she said. Lift Bridge Books is also a partner with the Toy Shelf. They ask customers to donate $1 and those dollars go to purchase new books for the children. "In addition to the toy, the parents get to pick out a book from the Toy Shelf for their kids," Tryka said. New to the Toy Shelf offerings this year, Tryka said, will be a selection of used bikes that have been donated by Jack Mazzarella. "We normally only take new gifts because we feel that at Christmas time, each child should be entitled to a new toy, but with bikes that just isn't always possible," she said. "We are just thrilled with Mr. Mazzarella's generosity in donating bikes." About five years ago, Mazzarella said he began collecting used bikes with the idea of putting them downtown in Brockport where anyone who wanted one would have access to one, but because of insurance and legal issues that idea never came to fruition. Instead, he has spent countless hours refurbishing the bikes and is now donating more than 30 of them to the Toy Shelf. "I thought the Toy Shelf would be a great organization to donate the bikes to because then the bicycles would get into the hands of the kids who would enjoy them the most," he said. The people that Tryka meets and the families that she knows she helps are elements of the project that keep her enthusiasm up. "The second year I was involved, a woman came up to me after she had shopped and wanted to give me $7. I told her she didn't have to pay for the toys but she said that the $7 was all she would have had to buy gifts for her children and she wanted us to have it," Tryka said. "We also have families who have benefited from the Toy Shelf in the past who come back and volunteer with us." Drop boxes are located at various points throughout Brockport including: Wegmans, First Niagara Bank, Dunn Home Furnishings, State Farm Insurance and HSBC. Financial donations are also gratefully accepted and can be mailed to: Charlene Veltz, 12 Glendale Road, Brockport, NY 14420. Checks can be made out to Brockport Toy Shelf. Velts is co-coordinator. Tryka said the program wouldn't be possible without the help they receive from the volunteers as well as from the financial donations they receive from Brockport's service clubs. |
