Toy Drive

Since the start of the Toy Drive at CWCTC, 10,300 gifts have been given to needy children.

Sound like an odd thing for a Vocational School to get involved with? Well, here at the Central Westmoreland Career and Technology Center, things are a little different than one might expect. For starters almost every shop is involved and excited with the chance to help out. The recipients are children around the area who might otherwise go without gifts this and Christmas's to come.

The Painting and Decorating Shop will be asking several clubs in the community to collect toys of all kinds: everything from stuffed toy Bert and Ernies to 130 piece puzzles. The clubs will also be counted on to donate batteries, wrapping paper, ribbon, and tape to ensure the success of the 2003 Toy Project.

Carpentry shop makes wooden animal puzzles, Commercial Art actually makes new pieces for picture puzzles, Machine Shop makes new gears for toy racers, while Painting and Decorating restuffs and resews stuffed animals, spray paints old Tonka trucks, and has much fun doing it, all under the direction of Jim Purnell, the Painting and Decorating Shop Instructor. The drive starts up the beginning of December and goes straight through to December 21.

"This year it will be even bigger", says a Painting and Decorating student proudly, " because we are setting up boxes at the 9 home schools."

"It gets you in the Christmas spirit" says another student in the shop proudly. "We love the chance to help out."