The students in Pat Vollkomer's third-grade class at the Leo F. Giblyn Elementary School were determined to help the needy this year, and in doing so united their entire school in an effort to collect donated toys for a good cause. Their inspiration came from an in-school reading of "The Littlest Volunteers," written by Danielle Speckhart. The story encourages children to get active in helping others, in the hopes that exposing children to volunteerism at an early age will encourage willingness to volunteer in the future.
The students decorated collection boxes to make them look like chimneys, resembling the kind a sidewalk Santa might use, to store donated toys during a collection period that lasted for several weeks. Over 160 toys donated at Giblyn School were earmarked to benefit "Toys for Freeport Tots," a program organized by Freeport police detective Patrick Franzone on behalf of the Freeport PBA. With the help of school district social workers, over 600 invitations were sent to needy families to help brighten their holiday season with toys for their children. Board of Education Trustee and member of the Freeport Police Department Michael Pomerico along with Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kishore Kuncham and Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum Dr. Wafa Westervelt were on hand to help box the donated toys.
"I am so very proud of what they did," Mrs. Vollkomer said of the class effort. "We truly worked as a team, and everyone did something." The program, which has involved schools in Freeport for ten years, placed collection boxes in the following school buildings: Leo F. Giblyn, New Visions, South Bayview Avenue, Archer Street, Columbus Avenue and Caroline G. Atkinson Intermediate.