Collier Building Industry Association Toy Drive is Underway

For students at Pinecrest Elementary School and Shadowlawn Elementary School, the holidays come early, as Collier Building Industry Association (CBIA) hosts an annual toy drive to give joy to kids in need. Tom Lykos, president of The Lykos Group, says the event reshaped his outlook on the holidays after initially participating in it more than two decades ago. “It’s exactly what I needed after the passing of my brother,” Lykos says. “It really grounded me.”

Months of planning go into making the annual event a success. CBIA members collect and buy enough toys for about 1,200 students between the ages of 5 and 12. They also separate the toys by age and gender. The excitement begins just a few weeks before Christmas, when the toys make their safe arrival to the schools. Volunteers decorate a room and dress up as Santa’s helpers. Santa, himself, makes a special visit and addresses the kids.

Stock Development’s Claudine Leger-Wetzel, vice president, sales and marketing, has participated in the toy drive for more than a decade. She recounts the big event in detail. “There are hundreds of toys on stage,” she says. “You can see the excitement in [the children’s] eyes; nothing can replace that.”

Lykos adds—for many of these young students—the gifts are a holiday miracle. “To know, as adults, we’re having an impact on these kids, you can’t buy that,” he explains. “There is absolutely nothing that gives me more gratification.” CBIA Executive Officer Amelia Vasquez says any excess toys are typically donated to other charities. 

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