Last year, the University’s Office of Volunteer Programs (OVP) collected more than 400 gifts for needy children in the Champaign-Urbana community during its annual Holiday Toy Drive. This year, Lindsay Baran, student employee in the OVP and organizer of this year’s drive, hopes to double that number.

“We want to work with a ton of agencies and help as many children as we can,” said Baran, senior in applied life studies.

To help achieve this goal, the OVP will give coupons for a free game of bowling in the Illini Union Rec Room to the first 100 people who buy toys for the drive. Baran said she thinks the promotion will get more people interested in participating.

“It is something that is easy enough for students to be involved in,” Baran said. “And you’re giving a gift to a child who won’t get any other presents.”

This year’s toy drive is the third for the OVP, said Kathy Guthrie, the office’s director. The office of Volunteer Illini Projects formerly sponsored the drive, she said.

The drive began Monday and will continue through Dec. 6. To participate, students must contact the OVP with the number of children they would like to sponsor. Students may sponsor a child individually, with a friend or as a group, said Baran, who also organized last year’s drive.

The OVP then provides donors with the age and gender of their sponsored child and a list of requested gift ideas. Donors then can buy their child’s favorite toys and bring them unwrapped to the OVP. Purchases are to be kept at $15 or less, and all gifts are given anonymously, Baran said.

Staci Provezis, graduate assistant in the OVP, said the drive also will accept any new toys that people would like to donate, even if they do not sponsor a specific child. Many of the agencies receive new children closer to the holidays and are unable to obtain their gift requests, she said.

Provezis said groups and organizations may pool money to sponsor a child or a group of children.

“It is definitely a fun project,” she said. “How many people get to go shopping for toys when they’re in college?”

Baran contacted various human service agencies throughout Champaign County and asked them to make a list of how many children would like gifts and what kinds of toys they would like. The collected toys will be distributed to agencies including C-U Special Recreation, the Transitional Initiatives and Men’s Emergency Services (TIMES) Center and the Pavilion, she said.

The toy drive served seven agencies last year, and Baran said she expects to serve at least eight this year. Baran said she has already received many e-mails from students interested in

donating.

“We always get more gifts than we expect,” Baran said.

Baran is particularly excited about this year’s drive because it is also serving adult agencies, so parents may have gifts for their children.

Provezis arranged the bowling promotion and said she encourages students to donate a small amount of their time and money to a good cause.

“During this time of year, it is important to think about others and think of people who are not getting anything for the holidays,” Provezis said.

Baran said she is always touched by the appreciation from local agencies.

“Lots of the kids are so excited,” she said. “One of the agencies had the kids write thank you’s; they just loved the toys.”

Toys may be dropped off at the OVP, room 277 of the registered student organization complex in the Illini Union, between the hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.