The sixth annual Andrew’s Mission Toy Drive gifted toys to sick children at Covenant Children’s on Friday. Most of the kids receiving these presents have to spend the holidays in the hospital, but with the help of the toy drive, their Christmas weekend got a little brighter.
“It just keeps Andrew’s name alive and his memory alive so people talk about him still five and a half years later. So it’s just special,” said Sasha Downing, Andrew’s mother.
The kids got a special surprise from ‘Fire Claus’ and some of the Lubbock Fire firefighters.
The drive is in honor of Andrew Villarreal who passed away in 2012 from a congenital heart defect called Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. He was missing the entire left side of his heart and spent about half of his life in the hospital.
“One thing that put a smile on his face is the hospital chicken fried steak and a toy from Child Life. So that’s why we came up with this, to hopefully continue that,” said Downing.
They even add a special sticker so that all the kids who receive gifts know who it came from. It reads: “Andrew’s Mission has donated this toy in honor and memory of our sweet Andrew J. Villarreal. He was a helper and servant while on earth and he’ll continue his legacy as he awaits in heaven.”
“You see their eyes light up and able to have a specialized gift that they can use here while they’re here in the hospital to help them pass the time. Helps them feel a little extra special while most families are home together,” said Christine Neugebauer, Covenant Children’s Manager of Integrative Care.
They said they couldn’t have done it without the big team behind them.
“As Andrew’s mom and all of our volunteers, I just want to thank Lubbock and all the surrounding communities for donating to our cause each and every year and helping us brighten the sick kids faces on Christmas. So, thank you,” said Downing.
If you want to donate, Covenant Children’s will be giving out these toys until August.
If you want to contact the Downing family, you can message them on their Facebook page here.
