Ammon Elementary holds toy drive for children at Shriners Hospital

Toys for some kids may just seem like an ordinary thing, but for children at Shriners Hospital in Salt Lake City, toys are friends to help them keep their minds off any pain they may be going through. To help, students at Ammon Elementary School are collecting toys to send to kids at Shriners Hospital.

A few months ago, sixth grader T.J. Hopkins came to his dad, Tyler Hopkins, and his principal, Gene Smith, with the idea for the toy drive

“I was, like, ‘Yeah, that’s awesome. It’d be a great opportunity for our students to give back to some kids that really need some joy in their life,'” said Smith.

For T.J., he knows firsthand what it is like to be at Shriners Hospital.

“I go there, I’m a patient,” T.J. said. “I have fibular hemimelia, a bone disorder. Now I’m an amputee.”

When T.J. was born, his family was told that he had a clubfoot. Doctors suggested that his family take him to Shriners Hospital for a better analysis. Once they got there, they were told he actually had fibular hemimelia. Doctors suggested amputation.

“It was a shock to us, but we knew right away that it was the right thing,” said Tyler Hopkins. “The doctors, the nurses and everybody down there was so wonderful.”

It was those positive experiences T.J. had at Shriners Hospital that made him want to put on this drive, especially because having toys there means a lot.

“You have something that (is) yours, and you got it there, and sometimes they’re mementos or sometimes they’re what keep you happy,” T.J. said.

T.J. still goes to Shriners Hospital quite often, so being able to help spread joy to some of his friends is something he looks forward to about the drive.

“I met this one kid, and he has back problems. We’re playing with these play dough things and these toys, and he was just so happy,” T.J. said.

This toy drive is not just limited to Ammon Elementary School or Bonneville School District 93, but for the whole community.

“Giving is not only giving to them, it’s giving to you because it’s giving you happiness,” T.J. said.

The drive goes on from April 17 through May 1. Boxes will be in each classroom and the main office at Ammon Elementary School.

Shriners Hospital does not accept latex or used items. They must be brand-new items or in packaging that has not been open. All types of toys are welcome.