“I love seeing Santa!” said Natasha Ayala, a student at the Queens Centers for Progress (QCP), as she pet her new stuffed dog. “I have my own dog at home, too.”
Last week, the Jamaica Rotary made its yearly donation of hundreds of toys to QCP as dozens of excited children eagerly opened their presents.
“The children really look forward to it every year,” said Maryann McAleer of QCP.
Roughly 250 toys were delivered this year to children with developmental disabilities, including cerebral palsy.
Santa Claus and a snowman went class-to-class, delivering Barbie dolls and toy trucks to bright-eyed kids.
The Jamaica Rotary has been making this its holiday tradition for the past 12 years, and each year is just as exciting as the last.
“It’s a joyous day for them, they love it,” said McAleer of the students. “The Jamaica Rotary Club makes these children extremely happy.”
