Commentary by Erin Murphy
It is important to give year round, but this time of year, I have a special place in my heart for those who can’t afford to make the holidays special for their children. For the past three years, the City of Westfield has participated in WISH-TV’s Tweet for Toys.
WISH-TV works with a local chapter of a charity to collect new and unwrapped toys for those in need during the holidays. This year it was the incredible organization Toys for Tots.
In years past, our city employees came together and donated the toys. The collection was always impressive, which is why we continue to participate. However, this year we changed our usual plan and the end result was magical.
Using social media, the city reached out to the business community and citizens and asked for their help. Businesses like, Grand Junction Brewery, Union Baking Company and Westfield Pharmacy requested collection boxes. For weeks, our city employees, the Westfield Police and Fire Depts. brought in new toys to bring a smile to a child on Christmas.
The week of the Toys for Tots pick up we were more than pleasantly surprised by Weas Engineering of Westfield. Without our knowledge they started their own collection and they were able to collect hundreds of toys for Toys for Tots.
When WISH-TV stopped by with the Toys for Tots crew, the city was able to offer them the most toys Westfield has ever collected. The culture of Westfield is about giving back, and this holiday season our community stepped up and showed why this community is one of the best in Indiana.
Happy holidays!
