The season of giving is around the corner and the Division of Volunteer Efforts (DOVE) is providing an opportunity for students to spread holiday cheer and the spirit of giving this season.
DOVE’s annual toy drive provides children in need with toys and gifts donated directly by Seton Hall students. Each child writes down what they want for Christmas and each child’s name, age, and gift of choice are written down on paper ornaments. They are placed on giving trees around campus.
Students and faculty can pick one or multiple ornaments, purchase the listed gift, and drop it off at the DOVE office in Boland Hall, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., throughout the duration of the toy drive.
On Reading Day, which will be Dec. 9 this year, volunteers can come together to wrap the gifts, which are then distributed to the children in need.
Each year, DOVE collects around six to eight hundred toys; however, last year, there were over a thousand toys collected. DOVE’s mission to give back to children in need is reflected by their consistent effort to spread kindness and giving throughout the holiday season and beyond.
Amanda Cavanaugh, the director of the DOVE mission, shares the history of the toy drive and SHU’s partnerships with its local communities.
“The toy drive has been going for the past 25-30 years,” Cavanaugh said. “We have been donating toys to go down to West Virginia (Appalachia), and we have many partners locally we work with, like Don Bosco and St. John's Soup Kitchen.”
DOVE has continually partnered with these organizations since the beginning of the toy drive at SHU. These communities need consistent support, and count on DOVE each year to provide donations.
“We go based on the needs of the communities, and we are able to provide to organizations that need them, as well as our consistent partners,” Cavanaugh said.
SHU students and DOVE volunteers are what make the toy drive a success. Each year, the demand increases, and SHU students deliver.
“Last year was an incredible outpouring of generosity; we hit over 1,000 toys, and they were really substantial toys,” Cavanaugh said.
SHU’s mission of servant leadership is reflected in the annual toy drive by bringing students together to support families and children in need. DOVE exhibits the core values of compassion, community, and service in each of its endeavors, and the toy drive is no different.
The toy drive brings together the ideas of academic and ethical development, as stated in SHU's mission. This event directly serves others and uplifts communities beyond the gates of campus.
“Seton Hall is a university that loves thy neighbor and supports thy neighbor, that's what's really important as a Catholic school to portray,” Cavanaugh said. “The core of what makes Catholicism what it is, is looking out for others, and supporting others, as well as solidarity.”
The annual toy drive would not be successful without its students' contributions, and many student volunteers feel deeply about the work they do for these communities.
DOVE volunteer Wendy Cardona Herrera, a senior majoring in business administration, shared her experience with the annual toy drive and what giving to others means to her.
“Personally, I always hope to brighten up these kids' holidays, regardless of me not meeting them face to face, just knowing that they are getting what they asked for is all I could ask for,” Herrera said.
The gift of giving is important to share with others, and especially during the holidays, these children are surprised with gifts they might not have otherwise gotten.
“For me, having the privilege to bless someone else’s holiday reminds me of how important it is to make others feel seen, especially those who do not have enough,” Herrera said.
The holidays can be a time of insecurity and stress for many communities to provide for their families. DOVE’s mission is to alleviate this stress and give back to others who need it most.
“We want to make sure that if parents are having a hard time with food or housing insecurity, they don’t have to worry about not having gifts for their kids for Christmas,” Cavanaugh said.
Another student volunteer, Arianni Beras Torres, a senior majoring in criminal justice, shared her experience on why giving back to local communities through this project is so rewarding.
“I feel that we should always be kind, and that even the smallest actions can make a difference,” Torres said. “For me service is not just something to do; it’s a way to live out my values and spread hope to others.”
Being able to see students come together to serve communities outside of campus showcases SHU students' embodiment of servant leadership and community-building.
Khalil Crumes, a junior majoring in accounting and criminal justice, shares his perspective on the importance of giving to children in need during the holidays.
“You have the opportunity to give that gift to them that their parents might not have the opportunity to do,” Crumes said.
Giving back to communities in need, with just one simple donation, can truly make a difference. DOVE’s commitment to serving communities in need does not just happen during the holiday season; it continues all year round.
“Giving back and building community is one of the biggest things I can do to continue service even after the Holidays,” Crumes said.
DOVE gathers student volunteers from across majors, and each feels a special tie to the toy drive, seeing their work become a reality for these children.
Aliye Pehlivan, a senior majoring in biology, shares her standout moment while participating as a volunteer in the toy drive.
“I really enjoy paying close attention to the toy tags we prepare,” Pehlivan said. “Knowing that each tag represents a real child with their own unique interests makes me appreciate the impact of this project even more.”
Providing for children and communities in need is central to DOVE’s mission. Especially during the holidays, there can be an unseen struggle, and so in preparing for the toy drive, DOVE acknowledges that not everyone celebrates the holiday season the same.
Kaylen Glover, a senior majoring in social and behavioral science with an allied health concentration, shares how the toy drive impacts those families who need it most.
“During the holidays, everyone is thinking about their loved ones, but unfortunately, a lot of people are experiencing homelessness and loneliness,” Glover said. “They have not had family for gifts to exchange, so if you are able to share something with someone during the holidays you could truly make their holiday season.”
With this, it is not only children who may need the help, but parents as well are struggling to provide what they believe their children deserve.
“Everyone likes to think of the kids opening the toys, which is so beautiful, but I have witnessed them going straight to the families, and the parents or caretakers of the kids don't have to say they don't have gifts this year,” Cavanaugh said.
SHU students care about their communities, and that is evident through the work that is done throughout the toy drive. Donations from all over campus and even off campus contribute to a child’s happiness during the holiday season.
“We have administrators that collect money from their departments to buy toys to donate to DOVE,” Cavanaugh said. “Student organizations commit to getting students to donate and parents independently send gifts in.”
The true wonder of this event is being able to see the children open these gifts after the long process of making the toy tags, collecting the gifts, and wrapping them to send off.
“I get to see that gift getting selected, wrapped, and then I actually go down to West Virginia to throw a Christmas party for the kids,” Cavanaugh said. “9 hours away, the kids are receiving these gifts, the gifts that I saw come into the office a month earlier.”
DOVE’s toy drive will be ongoing until Dec. 5, where students can contribute to SHU’s mission and to the communities that need it most, providing children with the opportunity to experience the magic of the holiday season.
Grace Tylee is the head editor for The Setonian’s Social Media. She can be reached at grace.tylee@student.shu.edu
