HOYA Clinic Toy Drive Exceeds Goal

Posted in GUMC Stories  |  Tagged cura personalis, health disparities, HOYA Clinic, philanthropy, School of Medicine

(December 9, 2019) — More than $10,800 raised… 400 toys purchased… 30 rolls of holiday wrapping paper.

Those impressive numbers tallied by the Georgetown University School of Medicine’s annual HOYA Clinic 2019 Toy Drive were outdone only by the countless smiles and endless delight on display at the culminating holiday parties during the week of December 2 at three locations around Washington, DC, that house families experiencing homelessness.

In November, HOYA Clinic student volunteers led by Sarah Trent (M’22) and Ben Hack (M’22) kicked off a fundraising campaign to raise $10,000 by Dec. 3. With days to spare, generous donors led by student, faculty and staff exceeded the target!

“It’s so important for all kids — especially those experiencing poverty and homelessness — to look forward to and enjoy the magic of the holidays,” said Trent. “For families facing financial hardships, it can also be difficult to budget for gifts, so the HOYA Clinic Toy Drive aims to ease that financial and emotional burden on families so that everyone can truly enjoy the holidays.”

We sent our cameras to one of the festive parties on December 4 to capture Santa’s visit and share this holiday postcard.

In addition to Trent and Hack, the 2019 Toy Drive team included: Mark Hanlon (M’22), Zaynab Almothafer (M’23), Maiko Sho (SMP), Cristi Pineda (M’22), Stephanie Shin (M’23) Jay Gupta (SMP), Suraya Poian (M’23) and Michael Finizio (M’23).