KIND-HEARTED donors from around the Lower Mainland gathered for a grand toy count at Riverside Banquet Hall in Richmond last Sunday for the 17th Annual Victor Ghirra Toy Drive. With inflation, families are being challenged even more during the holiday season creating a greater need for support this time of year. Over 200 people attended the grand toy count event to drop off toys, gift cards and donations.
This year, the toy drive in memory of the man with a golden heart — Victor Ghirra — had a festive Christmas theme for all to enjoy. Organizers greeted guests as they dropped off toys, with many staying to enjoy hot beverages and treats, crafts for kids and posing for photos in the Winter Wonderland booth.
The toy drive is donating toys to 25 good causes this year. The Victor Ghirra toy drive committee hopes the donation of toys bring some holiday cheer and happiness to children and families who need a helping hand this time of year. With the help of the Benevolent Brotherhood Society (BBS), the Ghirra family, Co-operators Insurance agencies, Riverside Banquet Halls, Johnston Meier Insurance and the Kids Play team, over 2,600 toys were collected.
In memory of the man with a golden heart, the toy drive is devoted to making holidays brighter for thousands of boys and girls. Bobby Ghirra, Victor’s older brother said: “We do this in memory of my brother, his giving spirit – he was such a good guy. He started this years ago and we want to keep it going. It’s important to give and help others – this means a lot to our family to remember him.”
Victor was involved in many philanthropic initiatives, but one good cause that Victor was really touched by was the BC Children’s Hospital. He bought toys worth thousands of dollars every Christmas and donated them to the hospital for children that needed them. He would never tell them who he was or where the toys were from. It was later found that Victor had made trips to the hospital for over a dozen years.
Victor is still remembered fondly by his friends and colleagues. As matter of fact, many of his colleagues are still involved with the toy drive committee who still remember his kind nature. Joe Casciano, Operations Supervisor (West Region), Co-operators, said: “We feel fortunate to still be involved with such a great cause. It’s great to help so many have a little better Christmas. This year our team held a Canucks tickets raffle, 50/50 and collected $2,600 to purchase items for Victor’s toy drive.”
Moya Matick, Agency Office Manager with Co-operators. said: “It is heartwarming to know that our efforts contribute to preserving a spirit of giving and care to those kids who need it most. If you add in the goodwill and camaraderie that spreads through the toy drive team, the joy of giving reaches out to everyone.”
Richmond Sunrise Rotary once again stepped up to make a difference with the toy drive with a donation of $3,500 to purchase toys. During a recent Richmond Sunrise Rotary meeting, members told ‘toy stories’ where they purchased gifts they felt children would like to play with. Kal Mahal, Richmond Sunrise Rotary member, said: “We are proud to support such a good cause. Victor’s toy drive has become a tradition in the City of Richmond. It’s a great way to support families who need it most over the holidays.”
Jerry Gamble of Johnston Meier Insurance worked with Victor and was happy to help once again. He said: “I’m proud to say that for the fourth year, we contributed $500 in toys to Victor’s toy drive. It was an honour to work with Victor and an even greater honour to be part of the toy drive each year. We keep Victor’s kindness and generosity alive. It’s so great to see the toy drive growing each year and so many kids get toys for Christmas.”
The 25 charities the Victor Ghirra toy drive was able to help this year include: BC Children’s Hospital, Lower Mainland Christmas Bureau, Key Solutions, Richmond Christmas Fund, Options BC, Canuck Place, Nightshift Ministries – Care Centre, North Shore Family Services – Christmas Bureau, Second Stage Women’s Centre (Serenity House and Harmony House), Ray-Cam Community Centre, Surrey Christmas Bureau, Kids Play, Richmond Food Bank, 4 local schools with families in need, Recovery Kidz, Team Keian, Vancouver Lower Mainland Multicultural Family Services Support, Richmond Food Bank, Share Society, Philippines – children in need, CFAX Santas Anonymous (Victoria) and for families on the Downtown Eastside. More than 50,250 toys have been collected and distributed over the past 17 years in memory of Victor.
Harvey Kooner of BBS, founder of the toy drive, said: “The need for support in the community was greater than ever this year as we helped 25 good causes. When visiting groups who were collecting toys for the toy drive it was heartwarming to see all the people who wanted to help and make a difference. Thanks to so many generous people, there will be hundreds of children feeling a bit of holiday cheer thanks to the legacy of Victor. The toy drive gets bigger and bigger every year and our hope is to keep helping those in need.”
For more information on how you can make get involved and make a difference with next year’s toy drive, contact Harvey Kooner at 604-671-4180 or harveykooner1@gmail.com.
