Northwood’s UNICEF club is running a holiday donation drive from Dec. 1-15, inviting students to give books and toys to the Children’s Hospital of Orange County.
Around 30 donations have been collected so far. According to club president junior Indra Uuganbayar, the club hopes the drive will bring comfort to children spending the holidays away from home.
“Christmas is a really special time for a lot of people, but at the same time there’s a lot of people out there who aren’t as fortunate as many of us are,” Uuganbayar said. “I think those people still deserve to feel the Christmas spirit.”
After finishing their previous project on Nov. 13, which sent over 200 paper bags with inspiring messages to CHOC, UNICEF board members began promoting the holiday drive through social media and campus flyers to raise awareness.
“When communities don’t receive enough support and resources, the challenges they face become even harder to overcome,” club secretary sophomore Alexis Wong said. “When we pay more attention and contribute, we help close gaps in equality and show that every child deserves to be cared for.”
Uuganbayar noted positive reactions from members who have donated so far.
“I wanted to donate because even small things can make a huge difference for kids,” freshman Josh Obando said. “A lot of times we think we need to be adults with money and influence to make a difference, but a student-run holiday drive is proof that that’s not true.”
UNICEF hopes to collect at least 50 donations, with every three to four donations counting towards one volunteer hour and a maximum of three to five hours per student. Meanwhile, board members will continue to plan monthly volunteering projects, with the hope that more students will be motivated to take action for their community.
“Even if you’re solely motivated by getting the hours or the prizes, I think every time people participate in something like this, they develop a sense of initiative for themselves,” Uuganbayar said. “Seeing that I’ve actually motivated other people to help just makes me really happy.”
Students who wish to participate can bring donations to Room 1227, where a collection box will be available during school hours.
