Rows of tables and a selection of catered food greets event attendees and passersby when BREAKAWAY hosted their Toys for Tots Service Extravaganza on Nov. 29 in Stevenson Hall. The goal of the extravaganza was to gather toys donated by students. It also served to allow students to write holiday cards to individuals in need of one.
Atmosphere
Walking in just before the start of the event, the tables sat separately and evenly spaced. Yet, as people began shuffling in a shift began. Attendees were creating along connected table in order to eat together and chat. As attendees carrying donation toys arrived, the event hosts pointed out a table against the wall to place them.
Traffic in the room was continuous. Some of those passing by were attending the Asian Student Konnection’s sushi and movie night event hosted on the other side of Stevenson Hall. The combination of the two groups in the hall creating a continuous buzz of noise. Even two Campus Safety officers made a showing and were offered food. Conversation was constant during dinner. Although some individuals started on their card crafting while eating, the majority waited until the group meal was completed to start.
BREAKAWAY
BREAKAWAY is a service based student organization which offers domestic and international service trips. The club’s president, Erica Johnson, ’24, discussed the group as she began crafting her cards.
“We have different on-campus activities for people to give back to the local community, and then things around Naperville area,” said Johnson. “It’s just kind of a cool way to get students involved and have fun with meeting new people and stepping out of their comfort zone.”
Building back
The extravaganza served as an event to participate in Toys for Tots. There was also the opportunity for attendees to write holiday cards for the Angel Card Project. It is a charity program meant to send holiday cards for those in need. According to Johnson, BREAKAWAY has been trying to build itself back up as a student organization since the COVID-19 pandemic, and the extravaganza served also served as an end of semester celebrations for the group’s members.
“We kind of wanted a fun way for people to kind of participate in Toys for Tots but also have some type of something tied to it and celebrate what we’ve been doing all semester. We’ve been trying to build back up as a student org since COVID hit so this is the first year that we’re really getting back into things and doing different projects,” said Johnson ’24.
Planning is underway for their service trip this upcoming spring semester. In 2019, when NCC was still using trimesters, BREAKAWAY offered four options for spring break service trips. The options at the time were West Virginia, New Orleans, Detroit and Nashville.
Toys for Tots
Toys for Tots is run through the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation. Beginning in 1991, the foundation is a collaboration with the U.S. Marine Corps. The mission is to ensure children of less fortunate circumstances experience the joy of Christmas. Through their toy drives, the foundation also hopes to assist in community improvement and harmony. The inspiration for Toys for Tots was a 1947 project by Marine Corps Reserve Major Bill Hendricks and the men in his reserve. Diane Hendricks, Major Hendricks wife, had wished for her handcrafted dolls to go to children in need, but no organization existed to spread them. Instead, Major Hendricks and his men collected and delivered 5,000 toys. This small group project caught the attention of higher ups and soon became a national program. Hendricks continued to provide support for the new program he helped inspire.
