A total of 86 kids in Peachtree City will have a better Christmas thanks to the Light Up the Night toy drive sponsored by the police department.
Capt. Stan Pye noted there were several occasions when participants had special requests that normally would have been a challenge to fulfill. But each time, an area resident stepped up to provide the exact item needed: with no prior knowledge of the need, Pye added.
A 6-year-old boy wished for a fishing pole so when his dad returned from overseas deployment they could go fishing together. Two young girls wanted an MP3 player. One Fayette resident managed to do fill an entire shopping cart of toys, and she managed to make those kids’ wishes come true, Pye said.
On a separate occasion, another donor came up with a girl’s pink bike with training wheels needed by another family. Another generous soul donated $750 in gift cards to help purchase last-minute gifts.
Even on the last night of the toy drive, one mom in the program asked for a guitar for her daughter, who wanted to learn how to play. Guess what showed up soon after? You got it: an acoustic guitar, completely unsolicited.
These minor Christmas miracles moved Pye, and the police officers and Community Emergency Response Team members who helped with the toy drive. There is no way to explain how complete strangers knew exactly what to buy for these families, but Pye was able to sum it up appropriately in an email.
“With all the bad that goes on in the world there still seems to be hope.”
