Marywood’s Admissions staff hosted a Toys for Tots drive at the undergraduate open house on Nov. 12. The toy collection will help less fortunate children in the local area receive a Christmas present this year.

Over the course of the day, the staff collected 138 toys from visitors.

Prospective students and their families entered into a raffle if they donated an unwrapped toy to the drive. The prizes for the raffle included gift cards and Marywood clothing.

At last month’s open house event, admissions held a canned food drive in a similar format.

JoAnne Rossi, coordinator of transfer enrollment and organizer of the drive, said she chose Toys for Tots because of the proximity to the holiday season.

“Because of how close we are to Christmas, it made sense to choose Toys for Tots as the focus for this drive,” Rossi said.

This is the first year the Admissions Department has chosen to host a drive during open house events, according to Rossi.

“With a new president, it felt like a good time to start setting an example that service is important to our community and Marywood’s values,” Rossi said.

Marisol Ruiz, a parent of a prospective student from Queens, New York, said she recognized the message it sent to the prospective students.

“It’s very important to do projects like this,” Ruiz said. “It teaches young adults to think about those in need and to give a little.”

Kaitlyn Porter, a student ambassador for admissions and a senior history and political science major, said she appreciates the example it sets about Marywood’s values.

“It helps promote that we are for the community,” Porter said. “It shows we’re for helping others because we are a service-based school.”

Porter said she hopes to see this trend continue for future open house events.

“It shows people who come here that we care for a bigger thing than ourselves,” Porter explained.

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