School’s Toy Drive to Benefit CHOP a Success

By MADDY VITALE The Ocean City Primary School’s toy drive last month to give children at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, CHOP, special gifts for the holidays was a big success, school officials said. Lauren Gunther, director of Student Services for the district, thanked the Primary School families and Ocean City community for supporting the Preschool Community Outreach Project. “Generous donations are going directly to CHOP’s Child Life Education and Creative Arts Therapy Departments,” she said. “This Toy Drive community outreach project has helped us continue a culture of kindness and giving for our Primary School students.” Children donated gifts that included Play-Doh Modeling Compound, Fidget-POP-Toys, Crayola crayons and markers, and board games. The toy drive was called the Preschool Community Outreach Toy Drive Project. It ran from Oct. 1 and ended Oct. 22. The idea for the participation in the toy drive came from the Miccarelli family, whose daughter, Ava, is a preschooler at the Primary School. The family is making the holiday season be more about giving than receiving. Gunther said in an Oct. 6 OCNJDaily.com article that, “Community outreach and service learning is a critical component in preschool education as we teach children an awareness of the outside world and the needs of others.”