Isaac’s Angels Toy Drive is collecting toy donations until Dec. 20 at several locations in the Rio Grande Valley to benefit children in hospitals during the holidays.
Isaac Garza, a Kawasaki disease survivor, started this nonprofit organization nine years ago as a way to give back.
“When I was seven, I was in a hospital too, and I would receive a lot of gifts,” he said. “When I got released from the hospital, I wanted to give back to a couple of my friends. Then I had an idea — I thought it was unfair if I only gave gifts to a couple of my friends. So I was like, ‘Can we give gifts to the whole hospital instead?’ And my mom said, ‘Maybe we can try to work something out.’”
Laura Garza, Isaac’s mother, said a young boy in the hospital inspired them to start the journey.
“When Isaac was in the hospital, he met a little boy named Emmanuel,” she said. “He was the sweetest, neatest little kid. I was in awe of this child because he had many medical conditions, but he was still very optimistic. He and Isaac became friends, and honestly, that’s how it all started. Isaac wanted to give him a Corvette and a train.”
Laura Garza recalled the most memorable moment from the first toy drive was when they went to deliver toys to Emmanuel.
“When his friend saw them, oh my God, his face,” she said. “I still get emotional. His face lit up, and I thought, ‘Wow, that’s pure joy.’”
Laura Garza said Isaac’s brother, Jacob Garza, has supported the toy drive since the beginning.
“Jacob has been our little vice president since day one,” she said. “He has been the most supportive brother through this whole deal, even when Isaac was sick in the hospital. He always stepped up to the plate to help out. He wanted the school to participate in the toy drive.”
Laura Garza said she is proud of her children for creating a positive impact in the community.
“It is a lot of work to put the toy drive together,” she said. “And then we do the collection, it is a lot of work that we do and a lot of it gets done just the three of us. We don’t ask for the volunteers until the day of because that is when we need to do the sort, but they’ve never complained once.”
Jacob Garza said giving back to children is a rewarding experience.
“It’s good,” he said. “I’m glad we’re doing this. It’s great to see the faces light up.”
There are currently 24 collection sites throughout the Rio Grande Valley. For more information about the locations, visit the Isaac’s Angels Toy Drive Facebook page.
This is Celeste Cruz for Vaquero Radio.
