By Blake Morgan Trojan Tempo Staff Writer

As the holiday season of 2016 begins to roll in, the Troy High School Key Club has already begun their Toy Drive, making it their second consecutive year of helping to bring happiness to local children this year.

Many people have heard of this Toy Drive, but they do not know exactly what it is or how much of an impact it has on the lives of those less fortunate than most. The whole program is operated by the Miami County Children's Services, and it is a way for local families in need to be able to bring gifts home to their children for Christmas. Students that bring in toy and book donations are asked to ensure that they are in good condition--especially if they are used--and brought to Mrs. Ernsthausen in Room 265. After the deadline of December 2, the donations are brought to the Miami County Children's Services, where they will then be put into their "Christmas Room." Then, parents in need can come in and pick what items they would like for their children and take them home. All donations after the deadline will be delivered straight to Children's Services.

"The number one benefit to making a donation is of course the fact that it's a generous and thoughtful act of kindness," said Mrs. Ernsthausen, leader of Troy High School's Key Club. "Any time you can help out another human being, especially a child, that in itself is incredibly rewarding."

Last school year, there was a lot of success with the Toy Drive, providing gifts for approximately 950 children. "Dropping the gifts off to Children's was very rewarding just to see the look on the volunteers' faces when they saw the amount of donations we had collected," Ernsthausen said.

Roz Mayo, a sophomore, donated a toy that one of her friends, Sabrina Schaeffer, could not donate at the moment.

"I didn't really donate, it was for a friend who couldn't," Mayo said. "It was a Bop It." Mayo did not donate last year, but does plan to donate her own item or items next year in order to help the cause.

Students are urged to help out by making a donation, no matter how small it may be. Your donation, though humble and greatly appreciated, does not go unnoticed. For every donation a student makes before the deadline, they get their name into a raffle for a gift card.

The deadline is still weeks away, which means there is plenty of time for more donations to come in. Help local children have a great Christmas this year and make your own donation.

Blake Morgan is currently trying to find items for his own donation.