Samuel and Ariel Kouadio wouldn’t have had Christmas last year if it weren’t for the Holiday Joy Drive.
Neither would have at least 1,500 kids whose families lacked the means to provide the Christmas they deserved. But with Legos, toy cars, Barbies, board games and basic necessities in some cases, the Joy Drive made sure everyone had a merry Christmas.
“My brothers were the happiest they’ve ever been seeing those presents on Christmas,” Dje Kouadio, Samuel and Ariel’s older brother, said. “They’ve never received so many gifts before.”
For over 20 years, the Palm Beach Gardens Police and Fire Rescue Foundation has made it their mission to provide children and families with joy for the holidays.
“We can’t not do it,” Jennifer Brashear, a crime analyst with the Palm Beach Gardens Police Department said.
The Joy Drive was started in 2000 by Officer Candy Brown who noticed while working on Christmas Day that some kids didn’t get presents. From then on, Brown made sure to have toys with her on Christmas to give to kids without.
What started as a small act of kindness grew into an operation that providees hundreds of children and families every year with nearly 3,000 donated items.
The foundation collects from Thanksgiving until Dec. 20.
Community members can drop off toys at several locations throughout the city, including the police station, fire stations, local elementary schools and city hall. They can also donate money directly to the foundation or buy something off the Joy Drive’s Amazon wishlist.
Firefighters, city staff, community members and police personnel like Brashear volunteer to wrap and organize donated items by family, age and gender.
Brashear has volunteered with the Joy Drive for 22 years.
“I like to give kids joy during the holiday time,” Brashear said. “It makes me feel like I’m giving back to the community.”
Wish lists provided by elementary schools and community referrals give families in need the opportunity to receive gifts from the drive.
In some cases, instead of toys, kids ask for basic necessities like food, clothes and shoes.
That’s when the toy drive became the Joy Drive.
“When we were talking to the kids and we asked them what they wanted, a girl wanted her own underwear and the brother in that family wanted food so he didn’t have to go into a dumpster to find his family’s food,” Brashear recalled.
For some kids, the gift of essentials is better than toys.
“Just seeing the joy on his face looking at the bags of food and toys was worth every minute of the work we put in to make this successful,” Judy Brandt, a 911 Communications Manager who has worked with the Joy Drive for over 20 years, said about a boy they helped.
The Joy Drive also ensures that no child feels left out.
“We don’t want some kids to think they were on the naughty list and Santa didn’t come,” Brashear said.
Kouadio watched his younger brothers open their presents on Christmas morning last year and knew they wouldn’t feel excluded.
“It fills a void for kids that are less privileged during the holidays,” he said. “And it shows you care when you can give back.”
Firefighters, police officers and city staff used to wrap all the donated gifts themselves.
Now they have more volunteers than they need.
Brashear said teacher groups, friend groups, local business groups and more, along with teens who can receive community service hours, show up to give back to their community.
Parents start collecting the gifts around Dec. 10 and for those who can’t, volunteers deliver them directly to families up until Dec. 23.
“They’re very thankful,” Brashear said. “Some people cry, some people give us big hugs and a lot of people are just very joyous and happy that we are able to help them put presents under a tree for their kids.”
The Kouadio family is one of those families.
“It made me happy to see my brothers so excited,” Kouadio said. “To see their faces full of joy made Christmas even better.”
