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Generous viewers allow hundreds of kids to receive Christmas gifts
We are extremely proud to share the culmination of FOX 29’s "29 Days of Honda Holidays." Hundreds of toys were donated to the Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House on Friday all thanks to your generosity.
PHILADELPHIA - We are extremely proud to share the culmination of FOX 29’s "29 Days of Honda Holidays." Hundreds of toys were donated to the Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House on Friday all thanks to your generosity.
In all, 820 donated gifts were collected and delivered for children of all ages.
"The toys are also utilized throughout the entire year. We often depend on donations from the holidays to last us throughout the year," said Dr. Johanna Crocetto, Director of the Audrey Evans Center for family support services. "Every new family that comes to the house, we want to give them a new toy. We want toys available for families if they’re celebrating a birthday, milestone or just having a tough day, so those donations go a really long way for us."
We met Nova Sheaffer, 8, who has been staying at the House for the last several weeks with her grandmother as she undergoes radiation treatment.
"I love the holidays," said Nova. "I like spending time with my family and like getting to hang out with my cousins too because I don’t see them a lot."
Her grandmother Sue Zang said Nova was diagnosed with a brain tumor in April called mixed malignant germinoma on the right temporal lobe.
Since then, Nova has undergone surgery, chemotherapy and now radiation.
Thankfully, it looks like Nova and her grandmother will be back home in time to celebrate Christmas after her last round of treatment on December 24.
She even had the opportunity to go shop at Ronald McDonald’s Holiday Store of donated toys for her siblings.
"It kind of restores my faith in humanity because the amount of stuff that’s donated here is just amazing, and the volunteers," said Zang. "[Nova] was able to get gifts for her siblings. She was very thoughtful on what she picked out. She thought about which sibling it was and what they like."
Ali Wotjwoiak is the Lead Teacher and Program Coordinator at the Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House and said the community’s generous donations mean the world to the children.
"It’s definitely amazing. Thank you to everybody who has donated, it brings smiles to a lot of kids. It’s truly amazing to see the generosity of people," said Wotwoiak. "Being a teacher, I get to interact with the kiddos and they open up to you, and like you said with the unique population we have, it’s definitely special."
If you’d like to show your support this holiday or any other time of the year, get in touch with the Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House. They are always looking for ways to collaborate with the community through volunteer and experiences for the families.