In the holiday spirit of giving, students from the High School of Telecommunication Arts and Technology collected over 800 toys and distributed them to students in shelters at its fifth annual Gift of Giving event on Wednesday, December 21.
The event took place at the Dyker Beach Golf Club, at 86th Street and Seventh Avenue, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Carlo Lenzi, founder of the now-annual event, helped provide the location.
“The event was a great success,” said Cynthia Felix Jeffers, event chairperson. “We had students from various schools come and participate as well as we were able to give out toys to local hospitals.”
Recipients of the toys include P.S. 52, P.S. 9, P.S. 147, P.S. 120, P.S. 257, P.S. 23, NYU Lutheran Family Health centers, NYU Lutheran Hospital and Toys for Tots.
For the event, the Student Government Organization at Telecommunications partnered with the Student Council at P.S. 9-Teunis G. Bergen School to provide gifts to Brooklyn families in need during the holiday season.
Attendees enjoyed a hot buffet lunch, musical entertainment from local schools and surprise guests.
Assemblymember Felix Ortiz gave his greetings while the owner of Mr. C’s Cycles bicycle shop raffled off two bikes to the children. The bicycles came with helmets and other biking gear.
“They were very excited about that,” Jeffers said. “But Santa was the biggest surprise guest out of them all. Nobody beats him.”
Moreover, the children received gifts which the students from Telecommunications spent two nights wrapping and labeling.
“Children who are otherwise not having a merry Christmas because their parents cannot afford to provide them with gifts, they had the opportunity to have one,” Jeffers said. “For many children, this was their only opportunity to have gifts. For many younger children, this was their only opportunity to see Santa. For the older ones, it shows them they can give back to the community.”
In addition, adult guests received winter gear as gifts.
“I’m very grateful for the businesses that participated and donated toys and food,” Jeffers said. “Without them, we wouldn’t have been able to do it.”
The event’s sponsors included: Casper’s Cuts, The BOOTH NYC, Sunset Bagels I, Sunset Bagels II, Sunset Park Lions Club, Dyker Beach Golf Club, Attanasio & Associates, Bay Ridge Hyundai, Mr. C’s Cycles, The Clarimar Group, Cardona Tax, Gold & Diamond Wholesale, UnitedHealth and Victoria Delgado Inc.