Friday, January 8, 2010

Gifts Collected and Distributed by Middletown Coalition For Children

In spite of hard times, holidays were brighter this year for families with babies and toddlers in the Middletown area. Over 100 brand new presents, ranging from musical toys to tricycles, ended up under the trees of children participating in programs sponsored by Family Advocacy at Middlesex Hospital, Even Start at Adult Education, and the Family Wellness Center at the Community Health Center, all in Middletown.

The toys were donated by employees at Enterprise, Alamo and National car rental offices in Connecticut and Massachusetts. According to Shawn Conroy of Enterprise, who organized the drive, employees wanted to make a difference this year for the children hardest hit by the recession. They learned from the Middlesex Coalition for Children that families with the very youngest and most vulnerable children -- birth to 3 -- suffer the worst poverty and hardship. "We knew we had to help," Conroy said.

Rental car employees also donated hundreds of gently used toys for use either by families or by the programs themselves.

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