The group of six- and seven-year-old girls will collect toys for families in need as they make their way down Main Street on Saturday, Dec. 1.
For the second year in a row, Girl Scout Daisy Troop 26173 is using the Moorestown Lions Club’s Annual Holiday Parade as more than just an excuse to dress up. The 6- and 7-year-old girls are parading for a purpose and will collect toys for families in need as they make their way down Main Street on Saturday, Dec. 1.
Troop leader Heather Colella said one of the most important messages she wants to convey to the troop is the importance of giving. Colella said she regularly tells the girls giving is about more than just material things. She said something as simple as a smile can be powerful.
In the spirit of giving, the girls collected winter hats, mittens and gloves for local nonprofit MooreKids last year. Colella said the community’s response was overwhelming. The girls filled up an entire wagon with winter paraphernalia.
The volunteers at MooreKids were so grateful for the donations that Colella thought to herself the girls should do something similar again this year. When she learned the parade theme is “Toyland,” she asked the girls what they wanted to collect, and the troop overwhelming suggested toys.
So, Colella joined forces with a local nonprofit once again. She reached out to Code Blue Collaborative, an organization sponsoring 30 local families this holiday season. She learned the nonprofit was very much in need of donations, so she and her group got to work spreading the word that they’ll be collecting toys.
Dressed as Raggedy Ann dolls, the girls will collect toys in a wagon chain they have transformed to look like a train. Colella said if their donations exceed what the train can handle, a friend with a pickup truck who is also in the parade has agreed to store toys in his vehicle.
The girls will accept any type of toy just as long as the toys are new. Colella said if they exceed the number of toys Code Blue Collaborative needs, they will donate the remaining toys to Toys for Tots.
“The parade makes for a good opportunity for them to realize yes, we’re here to have fun but also to connect with your community,” Colella said.
For the girls, the message has already hit home.
“Some people don’t have homes, and they might not get a present this year,” Scout Reese McColgan said of why they’re collecting toys.
Fellow Scout Samantha Colella said the parade is a great place to get donations.
“Because there’s lot of people there, we can get lots of toys,” Colella said.
Anyone interested in donating can do so at the parade, which will take place at noon starting at Central and Chester avenues and travelling to Main Street until it reaches Church Street. Those who cannot attend but are interested in donating can email Colella at heather.colella@gmail.com.
