ASU Sponsors Charity Toy Drive

This Christmas, many local children will excitedly smile and open gifts sent with kindness and care. The presents though, won't be from Santa Claus, they will be from Valley College.

The Associated Student Union is sponsoring a drive, called "Penny Lane," along with the Penny Lane center, a North Hills charity founded in 1969 that helps more than 1,400 local youth throughout southern California.

The drive, which Valley has sponsored since 2000, is organized in conjunction with Valley music instructor Jennifer Kelly.

Kelly, who was once homeless herself, chose to work with Penny Lane because the charity helps kids who have been abused, homeless, or who come from foster homes. Penny Lane offers the children shelter, food and mentors.

"This is a way for Valley College to help the local community," Kelly said. "We want to promote creativity with this, and also make [the kids] happy."

The drive, which began Nov. 25, is collecting items ranging from toys to toothbrushes, children's books, school supplies and socks. Kelly emphasized the importance of the socks and toothbrushes, saying that they are necessities that many homeless people value more than anything else.

The gifts will be collected in 18 locations throughout the campus, such as the English department, ASU offices and the bookstore and more. All donations can be dropped off in boxes provided by the ASU.

Donations for 100 kids' toothbrushes and 300 adult ones were already received, but according to ASU President Nelli Martirosyan, the more gifts people donate, the more kids who will have a brighter holiday.

"For most of the kids at Penny Lane, our gift is going to be the only gift they get [all] year," Martirosyan said. "… I encourage Valley students, faculty and staff to adopt a child in their hearts and minds and be the secret Santa for that child."

The ASU will gather the items collected from all the boxes and individual gift bags for the kids during the Dec. 17 "Wrapping Party." The campus' goal is to collect 300 gifts, a number that Valley surpassed last year by 100.

Because Penny Lane deals with at-risk youth, there are a list of items that will not be accepted, such as sharp scissors, aerosol products, earrings and more, used gifts will also not be accepted.

The drive's main goal is to give kids happiness and hope for the future through support.

"I encourage everyone to make a difference in a single child's life by just spending $5," Martirosyan said. "We are going to give the feeling of belonging to these needy kids. After receiving our gifts, the kids will have the feeling that there are socks or a toy in the world that no one can take from them because it is theirs."

The project, which is not sponsored by any political, corporate or religious groups, hopes to show the kids that they can achieve any goals they set for themselves.

"We want to show these kids that they can do anything," Kelly said. "I went from being homeless to being a community college student to a professor with a doctorate … we want to let them know they can go to college too."