When the door to the Neely O’Brien Elementary School gym opened on Dec. 16, 10-year-old Roderick Aaron’s eyes grew wide as he took in the multiple tables of toys.
There was one stacked with footballs and basketballs and other sporting goods, one piled high with stuffed animals, one with books, two stacked with board games, one covered in Barbies and other dolls and one overflowing in action figures, among others.
“I thought this was really cool,” Aaron said. “I thought, like, ‘wow.'”
All of the toys were donated by members of the Drug Enforcement Agency, Immigration and Customs Enforcement of the FBI, many of whom were on hand to shepherd the kids from table to table to let them pick out anything they wanted as part of a special holiday event that donates toys to one elementary school in the four-state region served by the Seattle employees.
In the end, Aaron settled on a Star Wars action figure portraying Jedi Knight Mace Windu.
“This is a good thing,” he said as he compared toys with other classmates. “I think this is really cool for the school.”
This is the second year the three federal agencies have collected money and toys and made a surprise appearance at a local school.
According to Acting Special Agent in Charge Mark Thomas of the Seattle field office of the DEA, Neely was selected because of its high number of students on free and reduced lunch and the diverse population of the student body.
“They just wanted to make an impact in the community,” Thomas said of his staff, all of whom were volunteers and donated toys and coats at their own expense. “This is a good thing. We can have some impact on the community.”
Thomas also said the event served as community outreach to provide a positive image of the federal government among a community that sometimes only see federal agents in a negative context.
“Sometimes the federal government seems very far away, but we’re right here,” Thomas said. “We live in these communities.”
In addition to the thousands of toys donated by the agents, Thomas said the Yakima office donated several big-ticket prizes, such as bikes and a karaoke machine, that were raffled off, with each student receiving a ticket to place in the raffle of their choice.
In addition to providing every student in the school with a new toy, the agents also donated hats, coats and gloves for students who were identified as needing them.
Chris Kunzelman, who helped bring the event to Neely O’Brien, said many of the students wrote in their thank you notes that these were the first brand new toys they had ever gotten and said it was “pretty powerful” to watch the students pick out a gift. Many picked the smallest item before being told they could have anything they wanted. Others picked out items for siblings.
“This is awesome,” Kunzelman said. “This is overwhelming for our kids.”
Neely O’Brien Principal Jody Metzger called the event “uplifting” and said it was great for kids to get the positive reinforcement of federal agents being friendly and helping them.
“What they’re seeing right now is the police are on their side,” Metzger said. “It’s not a negative connotation at all.
“They deserve this,” the smiling principal said looking out at students from her school comparing their toys. “They really deserve this.”
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