By Donna Barr
Special to the Forks Forum
Forks High School Home-schooler Valerie Acuna is collecting toys for the Seattle Children’s Hospital’s “Toys For Patients” program.
“Seattle’s Children’s Hospital is a good place to donate,” said Acuna. “I wanted to do a bake sale, but my teacher didn’t want me to be handling money,” said Acuna.
Acuna needs 42 listed hours for her senior project in order to graduate next year. She says she decided to initiate the toy collection because a friend’s daughter had recently received head surgery at the hospital, and returned home with good results.
Acuna found the toy program on the hospital’s donation Web page.
Acuna is placing collection boxes in Clallam Bay at community locations, including the post office, school and library. The boxes will contain slips of paper delineating toy requests from Toys for Patients. It is recommended that any toys be donated by the 22nd of December.
Acuna says the program only accepts new toys, and is requesting “simple things,” such as fuzzy coloring posters, small Lego sets, markers, cards, nail polish, coloring books, arts and crafts kits, playing cards, tactile toys for all ages, PG-13 DVDs, gift cards and Spanish, Vietnamese and Russian videos.
Forks High School’s Home School Plus allows students to complete homework at home and to attend high school one hour a week to turn in work. Acuna’s homeschool teacher is Diana Cowles.
Acuna plans to mail the toys to the hospital, but if she receives a lot of toys, she will organize direct transportation for the donations.
Other priority needs include CD players, CDs (lullabies, relaxation, all ages), snap-together model kits, stuffed animals, tickets to local attractions and events, new harmonicas (in box), electronic games (teen and puzzle-oriented), teen magazine subscriptions (fashion, cars, video games).
Infants and toddlers: light, sound and pop-up toys, mirrors, links, rattles, teething rings, board books, sound books, sorting/stacking toys, busy boxes, washable squeeze toys, beginning cars and trucks, (No infant gyms, please).
Preschool/school age: plastic animals and dinosaurs, superhero action figures, sturdy platic cars, soft toys and stuffed animals.
Teens:Teen-rated hand-held games (including handheld), sport team caps and t-shirts, journals and writing supplies, bath and beauty gift sets, manicure supplies, $5 and $10 gift cards (music, books stores, movies, restaurants, etc.).
Arts and crafts: watercolor supplies (kits, pencils, paint and paper), sketch books, oil pastels, glitter pens and glue, fabric markers, sticker, plastic clay, beading supplies, crayons and colored penils, and kits including bead animals, friendship or bead bracelets, sand art, paper projects and stamping.
