A Lakeland mom started a toy drive to benefit children hospitalized during the holidays after she saw the joy in her daughter’s face when surprised with gifts after spending her first birthday in the hospital.
Liz Haygood, the founder of Kate’s Story Foundation, held her first toy drive in 2016 to honor her daughter, Kate, who battles epilepsy.
It is one of several toy drives in Lakeland and Polk County to help kids in challenging situations. Check a list of others below.
“Every year it gets bigger and bigger. We’ve had so many toys donated. It’s been beyond our wildest dreams,” Haygood said.
How it started: Haygood said her family was about to celebrate Kate’s first birthday when instead she ended up in the hospital with seizures.
“After Kate’s seizures stopped, the child life team brought in different things for her to play with. The joy that those toys brought to her and just how her face lit up … I don’t even know how to put it into words,” Haygood recalled. “To see her come back to herself, and to see her playing and to see the joy these new toys and the love from the staff brought to her, it made us feel better. It made her feel better and really changed things.”
From that moment, the family decided it wanted to bring joy to children who were hospitalized. They figured they could accomplish that goal by donating toys on Christmas, and Haygood created the foundation in 2017.
“It was life changing for my husband and me … Just it being her birthday which was supposed to be an extra-special day and being in the hospital, which was scary, and you’re alone, it was very sad for us,” Haygood recalled.
How it works: Haygood has drop boxes for the toy drive in 16 locations across Lakeland, Winter Haven and Auburndale. Some of the drop off locations include Arbor Glen Apartments, Lifefit Personal Training, and the Salt Room Lakeland.
People drop off toys at their leisure, and the toys are handed over to Haygood, who delivers them to the hospitals. The drive runs from Nov. 4 to Dec. 13. All donated items must be new, unopened, and unwrapped.
She collects toys and gifts for children of all ages. While toys for toddlers and school-aged children are typically donated in abundance, she said they’re always needing more toys for teens and babies.
For teen boys, Haygood is looking for items such as advanced Lego sets, basketballs and board games like Clue or Monopoly. For teen girls, she said they typically enjoy nail polish, beauty gift sets, slippers and robes.
She said they also give gift cards for food delivery services to teens, so they can order their favorite foods to the hospital.
“It is honestly our favorite thing to do every year. We look forward to shopping and delivering the toys,” Haygood said, adding that some people choose to just donate to her foundation, so that if a certain age group doesn’t receive a lot of toys, she can purchase toys for them.
“It is amazing to see how giving and loving our community is.”
Distributing toys: Haygood initially donated the toys to Nemours Children’s Health in Orlando, where her daughter was hospitalized.
She has since expanded her operations to also donate toys to children hospitalized at Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center.
“Nemours in Orlando actually set up a shop last year where we fully (stocked) the shop. Everything was for free. If the (child) had been in the hospital for a while and the parents hadn’t been able to Christmas shop or if they were here on vacation and were now at the hospital, they could go in and pick different things that they thought their children would like,” Haygood said.
Haygood said she’s also seen nurses using the toys to make gift bags for patients. The leftover toys are used throughout the year for children who may be undergoing surgery or chemotherapy.
Other Holiday toy drives
Heartland for Children: The organization is hosting its 20th annual Rudolph Round-Up Holiday Toy Drive. It’s looking for people to become a “Rudolph Champion” and bring joy to children in foster care or who may have experienced abuse or neglect. The organization allows people to purchase gifts off of their wishlist for an individual child or make a monetary contribution to go toward purchasing gifts on their wishlist. Learn more about the program.
Salvation Army’s Angel Tree: Angel Trees with wish lists are located in Walmart stores in Lakeland, as well as Lakeland Square Mall. New and unwrapped toys can be dropped off at the Salvation Army, 2455 Jim Galloway Road. The gifts will be distributed this year on Dec. 13, according to a Salvation Army staff member.
Cops for Kids: The Lakeland Police Department is collecting toys for children 12 and under, through Dec. 5. The toys will be distributed to children in Lakeland whose parents or guardians applied for the program. The department is seeking new, unwrapped toy donations. Toys can be dropped off at numerous locations including the libraries in Lakeland, the Lakeland Police Station, 219 N. Massachusetts Ave., and Mary’s Bagel Café, 1242 N. Florida Ave. Learn more about the program and how to make a monetary donation.
Lakeland Fire Department Toy Drive: Lakeland firefighters host a toy drive every year in order to give gifts to children in need. The toys benefit children housed via the Children’s Home Society of Florida or those who go to the Dream Center of Lakeland. The toy donations can be dropped off through Dec. 8 at any of the Lakeland fire stations or its administration office. They’re asking for new and unwrapped toys.
Toys for Tots Polk County: Run by the United States Marine Corps and local volunteers, the organization strives to provide children from newborn up until 12 years of age with one small and one large gift. Last year, it served 16,130 children in Polk County. Toys for Tots is collecting new, unwrapped toys in its collection boxes located around town. Check a list of locations.
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