Tinley Park parish toy drive aims to deliver joy to Joplin

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Students at St. George have collected Christmas toys for their counterparts in tornado-devasted Joplin, Missouri. | Larry Ruehl~Sun-Times Media

Updated: January 10, 2012 8:12AM

Nearly seven months have passed since a tornado ravaged Joplin, Mo.

Many residents were left with nothing, and the rebuilding process is taking longer than expected. But the town’s kids won’t be empty-handed this Christmas, thanks in part to the children of St. George Parish in Tinley Park. The toy drive they conducted for Joplin collected more than 500 games, books, toys, dolls, cars and crayons.

Hundreds of students from St. George School and the church’s religious education classes did whatever they could to bring joy to Joplin.

“The reason why I did the toy drive is because they had nothing,” 8-year-old Abbey Yock said. “I really wanted to give them something to play with because they lost all their toys and everything, so I had a party and I gave the kids some of my gifts I got.”

Brian Kelly, 7, cleared the idea with his parents first.

“I decided I wanted to give toys to them. I asked my mom and dad, and they said yes, and it makes me feel really happy,” he said.

That also was the case for Yaritza Zambrano, 6.

“I asked my mom if I could bring some toys, and she said yes because I want to help people, so I’d like to give them even more,” she said.

Joplin, in southwest Missouri and with a population just under 50,000, continues to struggle to rebuild. An estimated 7,500 homes — about one-third of the community — were destroyed in the May 22 tornado, which killed 161 people, according to reports.

Joplin Mayor Mike Woolston recently told KJRH.com: “I thought we would have the majority of our housing stock rebuilt within about a year. I think now it’s probably going to be a year and a half to two years.”

Thus the need for help and the toy drive, which Sophie Hummitsch, 6, said she was happy to be a part of.

“I got some toys from my basement, and I gave them my own toys,” she said.

In the spirit of the Christmas season, there were others at St. George making it all possible. Religious education catechists and schoolteachers donated wrapping paper and tape so the parents in Joplin can have the gifts wrapped for Christmas Day.

Employees and staff of USF Holland Trucking in Joliet picked up the 1,000-pound freight Wednesday, and Catholic Charities was to distribute the toys after they arrived in Joplin.

St. George religious education coordinator Nancy Bishop enjoyed seeing the project all come together.

“I thought, ‘Here we are, all these children, why can’t they share some of what they’re going to experience at Christmas?’ ” Bishop said. “We can send food, clothing. ... but we, as children, can help children.”