It was a joyous Christmas Day for hundreds of local underprivileged children who found gifts under the tree thanks to the big-hearted support of a group of Fiddler’s Creek homeowners.
For the 11th consecutive year, homeowners of the luxury, master-planned community collected and delivered toys and other gifts by the van full to Manatee Elementary School in East Naples.
This year, a record amount of items – approximately 500 – were delivered to the school for distribution to the young students and their siblings. Items included games, dolls, trucks, educational toys, stuffed animals, bikes and scooters, blocks, balls and other athletic items.
“The toy drive began as a means for Fiddler’s Creek homeowners and staff to work together on a volunteer project that would benefit children in the Naples area, and we are delighted with how it has grown over the years,” said Aubrey J. Ferrao, Managing Member of Fiddler’s Creek, LLC. “By actively volunteering in the community and giving back their personal time and talents, Fiddler’s Creek residents often discover that they are the ones who receive by helping others.”
Each year, residents of Fiddler’s Creek and other organizations around town collect as many gifts as they can for the kids, whose parents are not as fortunate to be able to afford them on their own. The toy drive makes it possible for every child to be happy on Christmas morning.
Once delivered to the school, holiday gifts are distributed over two well-orchestrated days in which the unwrapped items are divided based on age and gender. Then, parents visit the portable “toy store” located on the school premises to pick up items with dignity and pride.