St. Pat’s Atop “Legacy of Sweetness” Toy Drive
January 15, 2010

The Walter and Connie Payton Foundation thanked Saint Patrick High School for donating the most toys out of any school participating in the 2009 “Legacy of Sweetness” Toy Drive. Saint Patrick had maintained the top spot for five years until last year when Saint Viator High School took a turn in first place.

Senior Brendan Oates (St. Tarcissus) volunteered to help with the drive and was pleased to hear St. Pat’s won again. He said that his experience volunteering made him think differently about what the foundation achieves with the drive. “Every kid should have a present on Christmas,” said Oates. “Helping shop for some of the toys brought the importance of that to life. It was awesome to be a part of it all.”

While St. Pat’s contribution to the drive was just over 18 boxes of new toys, the drive gathers enough donations to help 20,000 children each year. Eleven schools participated in the 2009 drive. Saint Viator High School placed second this year with 17.5 boxes of toys. McHenry High School West Campus was third with 8.5 boxes. An awards presentation to formally recognize St. Pat’s commitment to the program will be announced.