I had no expectations as I parked my car in front of the Womansplace administrative building, a fact which was evidenced by my initial response as I walked through the doors. "Oh," I thought. No real impressions, just more of a "This is the situation. It is what it is."
I walked into the room where the staff asked that we place the toys. It appeared to be an old gymnasium with a stage on one end and a few long tables scattered around. On one table there was a pile of toiletries, another housed some clothing, yet another held a small stack of baby toys, and then there were two other tables that were mostly empty.
It was the very last second that Womansplace was accepting donations for Christmas. Actually, my middle name is "Procrastination," so it might have been about five minutes past the very last second.
The Womansplace staff was even more devoid of expectations than I was. As we worked out how we wanted to arrange all of the toys in the room, it became clear that the two mostly empty tables were intended to hold toys for older kids. The table that was in good shape held baby toys. The babies were covered. The preschoolers and grade schoolers and teens . . . not so much. The Womansplace staff had no idea we were about to bring into the room, nor were they concerned about it. ANY help was welcome. Anything that we were about to do to help fill those tables up was going to be hugely appreciated.
When I spoke to the Childrens Programs Coordinator a months ago about how we could best help Womansplace meet the needs of their child clients, she had mentioned that people sometimes donate toys for the little kids, but the older kids are often forgotten. I had purposely shopped for toys with that thought in mind, so the toys from Christmas Crazy most definitely leaned towards the 8 and over crowd. There were some things for the younger kids, but anytime I could find something that was perfect for a 10 or 12 or 14-year old, I had grabbed it.
I had also made it a point to shop with the situation in mind. These are kids who are in the midst of transition. They might really like a giant wood play kitchen, but it's not a practical gift. Smaller more portable toys were a better choice.
As the Womansplace staff begin sorting through the piles of toys we carried into the room, they noted that the toys were for kids that they really needed things for and that there had been thought put into what was there. They noted the trend towards smaller, more portable items and they noted the presence of toys for kids of all ethnic backgrounds.
Can I just say, the fact that they noticed that there were African American dolls and such made my day. Every year it's a giant pain in the ass to make sure that there are a few toys that minority kids will identify with, so the fact that it was noticed and appreciated more than made up for the hassle.
And then the staff began to sound like a chorus, all singing the same song. "These are exactly the sorts of things the kids have asked for!" and "I know EXACTLY who would love this one!" and "This is amazing!"
I wish I could bottle up the love that was floating around that room right about then. It was absolutely fantastic to be surrounded by people who have dedicated their lives to helping others but yet were genuinely blown away by YOUR generosity.
And they were BLOWN AWAY.
When we were done sorting and piling and unpacking, it looked like Toys R Us had thrown up all over that room. It was a beautiful sight. The staff said things like, "You can't even imagine how happy this is going to make our kids," and "This is going to be the best Christmas ever!"
Just between you and me, that half hour we spent delivering toys was better than Christmas. It was honestly one of the most rewarding days of my life.
Thanks to everyone who helped make it possible. You done good, y'all.
