It can, once again, feel like the most wonderful time of the year for thousands of pediatric cancer patients—all thanks to the Olivia Boccuzzi Foundation.
The local non-profit—founded by Brooklynites Enza and Frank Boccuzzi in November of 2012, just three months after their nearly-three-year-old daughter Olivia lost an 11-month battle with a PNET brainstem tumor—celebrated the culmination of its fourth annual holiday toy drive on Friday, December 18.
“It’s always amazing to see the entire community come together for such a great cause,” said Enza. “It’s unfair that so many of these kids are stuck in the hospital, especially during the holidays. It’s a complete nightmare what many of them are going through—we just want to give them some normalcy.”
The pair’s son, James, is a student at Saint Bernadette School in Dyker Heights, a place, Enza says, serves as a home-base for the drive each year with great support from Principal Sister Joan DiRienzo as well as upperclassmen who often join James in sorting the toys.
“Olivia was scared,” Enza recalled. “Toys make children smile. We want them to feel like kids again.”
This year’s toys made their way to nine local hospitals and cancer centers including Maimonides Medical Center, Memorial Sloan Kettering and New York Presbyterian.
And, despite the busy holiday season, the Boccuzzis have only seen their numbers grow.
“It’s nice to see people pause for a moment,” said Enza, noting that—as of Friday morning—Olivia’s Foundation clocked in close to 3,000 toys on top of nearly $1,500 in gift cards. “This is what the holidays are all about.”
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