Students and staff challenged to donate toys at Loyalist College

By Tamara Pilon

BELLEVILLE – It’s students versus staff at Loyalist College as both are being challenged to donate new, unwrapped toys, games and books in the 12 Days of Giving event on campus.

All items for the event can be donated inside the Shark Tank Pub at the Christmas tree with two boxes in front of it. One is for students and the other is for staff. The toys, games and books will then be donated to the Belleville fire department’s toy drive.

The toy drive has been operating for years and serves a large number of families around the Belleville community, said Kevin Bazkur, a public relations student.

“They serve 800 families and 1,500 kids and (more), that is a lot when you think about it,” he said. “I’ve been to the warehouse and the gifts that the children get are really good. They really try and make it special during Christmas.”

Bazkur says there is a high demand for gifts for girls ages seven through 10.

“Usually the gifts are from zero t0 10 years of age, but the real demand is for girls seven to 10,” he said. “That’s the hardest group to fill.”

This is the first year the competition is being held at Loyalist and it is hoped that it will become a tradition, Bazkur said. 

“It’s sort of a little friendly competition during the Christmas season between the staff and the students,” he said. “I think that would be a great idea, a nice tradition every year.”

Because the event is a competition, it has a prize, though not one that can be given, he said. The prize is bragging rights.

“You know it would be nice if there was a prize, but I think it’s just the bragging rights,” Bazkur said. “For the students ‘we beat the staff’ and for the staff  “we beat the students.'”

The idea for Student versus Staff: 12 Days of Giving came when public relations students picked different causes to help and it was decided to help the Belleville firefighter’s toy drive. Another student came up with the idea for the event after that.

The event ends Dec. 14.