The West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine’s (WVSOM) Center for Rural and Community Health (CRCH) is asking members of the public to help bring joy to children whose families were victims of the recent hurricane and flooding in North Carolina and Tennessee.
With its Project Hope campaign, WVSOM’s CRCH is seeking contributions of new, unused toys such as puzzles, board games, dolls, action figures and crafts. Local residents may drop off toys at campus locations including the WVSOM James R. Stookey Library, the CRCH area in the school’s Main Building, and the East Wing and West Wing lobbies of the Robert C. Byrd Clinic. Toys also may be left at the Greenbrier County Family Support Center in Rupert.
Toys will be accepted through Dec. 13.
Joyce Martin, administrative director for WVSOM’s CRCH, said the organization developed the idea for Project Hope shortly after Hurricane Helene and subsequent flooding devastated areas of the southeastern U.S. in September. She noted that groups from these locations sent assistance to West Virginia during the state’s own environmental crisis eight years ago.
“During the flooding in Greenbrier County in 2016, many volunteers and supplies came from areas that are now going through the same pain and hurt we experienced,” she said. “We knew we needed to do something after seeing all the damage, the lives lost and the heartbreak residents of North Carolina and Tennessee were going through. We wanted parents to experience the kindness of others and not to have to worry about gifts for their children. We wanted to be a small part of placing a glimmer in kids’ eyes, smiles on their faces and joy in their hearts.”
Toys will be accompanied by cards featuring encouraging words and drawings by children from the Greenbrier County School District. They will be distributed to affected families by Rise Erwin, a nonprofit organization that works to get supplies to those who need them most. CRCH staff will deliver the collected toys and cards to Unicoi Elementary School, near Johnson City, Tenn., on Dec. 16.
WVSOM is partnering with another medical school, East Tennessee State University’s Quillen School of Medicine, which is also collecting toys for Project Hope.
For more information, contact Joyce Martin at jmartin@osteo.wvsom.eduor 304-793-6571.