Toy drive hopes to reach kids in foster system

It's Our Little Secret presents its second annual holiday toy drive.

For those youth placed in temporary foster care or residential facilities, the holidays are an especially difficult time of displacement and loneliness. To help cope with these feelings and provide for their needs, they have decided to partner with DCFS to help bestows gift to foster children and underprivileged children in McHenry, Winnebago, Kane and Cook counties.

This year, IOLS will seek to provide holiday gifts to more than 600 foster children. For youth that have suffered neglect, abuse, poverty or other hardships, the significance of these gifts cannot be overstated.

In 2010, IOLS donated to six agencies, in which 303 children, through age 18, received more than 612 toys, 126 blankets, 51 adults received food and clothing and one very special little boy received a bed, new bedding, journey packs for him and his teen brother, Christmas decorations and food and that is just the beginning. Each child received at minimal two toys from their Christmas wishlist and in most cases they received three toys each and one blanket. Some of the toys that were given: 26-inch bikes, skateboards, necklace sets, scooters, Thomas Train sets, Barbie sets, MP3 players, digital cameras, Wii games and hundreds of other toys.

Consider supporting the IOLS Annual Toy Drive through one of the following ways:

Ÿ They are collecting toys for as many children as they can in the foster care system.

Ÿ Gift cards for older children who prefer to purchase their own gifts from Walmart, Borders, Target, Best Buy, Kohl's and more.

Ÿ Financial support to help defray the costs of items that are not donated.

Donate online at itsourlittlesecret.org or by check made out to It's Our Little Secret and in the memo note, write: Toy Drive and mail to It's Our Little Secret, 12201 Sinnett St., Huntley, IL 60142.