ALLENTOWN, Pa. – A holiday tradition of giving culminates in Allentown.
“This is the absolute greatest day of the year,” said John Werkheiser, Labor Liaison for the United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley.
They say a toy is never truly happy unless it’s loved by a child.
With Christmas morning just ten days away, holiday magic is swirling in the preparations.
In Allentown, it’s all hands-on deck with elves arriving in style to Roosevelt Elementary School.
The Lehigh Valley Central Labor Council is wrapping up another year of delivering toys to hundreds of students.
A parade kicks off the event, with dozens of vehicles, including a LANTA bus, Allentown fire and police, and other organizations around the region, arriving for this year’s toy drive.
“A bunch of volunteers to bring a little Christmas joy, a little holiday spirit, to Roosevelt Elementary,” said Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk.
Special visitors like Tuerk dressed as Santa Claus, Lehigh Valley IronPigs “FeFe” and “Ferrous”, a friendly “Grinch” as well as many volunteers all teaming up to pass along box after box, as a human assembly line forms.
“They’re here for a good cause and they put their hearts into it,” said Tuerk.
Within the seven years that the toy drive has been running, officials said that this year marked record timing for unboxing, organizing, displaying all of the gifts.
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“We are actually giving gifts to every student in our school,” said Yasainee Burton, United Way Community School Coordinator at Roosevelt Elementary School.
The district’s families have the opportunity to stop by and pick up two gifts for their students.
“We find a way to support the families, then next week they come in here. (They) can shop with dignity. No one watches over them,” said Gregg Potter, Executive Vice President of the Lehigh Valley Central Labor Council.
Gifts are donations from the labor council’s members, companies and other unions.
After the toy drive, officials and volunteers paraded around the school halls and handed out presents to students with special needs.
Because every child deserves the gift of kindness for the holidays.