Wednesday, January 15, 2025
The holiday spirit was alive in Uniondale last weekend, as the annual Toys of Hope Parade rolled up to Walnut Street Elementary School, bringing joy, generosity and a sense of community togetherness. Sponsored by the Nassau County Police Department Foundation and hosted by the Kiwanis Club of Uniondale United and the Walnut Street School PTA, the event welcomed families from across the area.
The parade, on Saturday, featured emergency response vehicles, horses and festive trucks filled with volunteers, all lined up around Walnut Street. Families were treated to hot chocolate and cookies, and had the chance to meet Santa Claus and the Grinch.
Every child received a toy, courtesy of the Toys of Hope organization, which is headquartered in Huntington. The event is part of the ongoing partnership between the NCPD Foundation and Toys of Hope, which supports those in need and promotes the spirit of generosity during the holiday season.
At the end of the event, Santa made a dramatic, and decidedly untraditional, departure in a police helicopter. It circled around the building a few times while he waved down at kids shouting with excitement.
“I think it’s amazing to get into the Christmas spirit,” Carolina Flores, a mother of two from Uniondale, said, “and it’s so nice to see that Nassau County is donating toys to children, just to give me that spirit and give me that joy of the season.”
Flores’s son, Anthony, 10, got his first skateboard at the event, and was looking forward to learning how to ride it. His favorite part of the morning, he said, was seeing Santa in the helicopter.
His sister, Mia, 8, also thought it was “cool” watching Santa leave in the helicopter, and said she felt “happy and excited” about receiving two Barbie dolls.
The success of the event was due in no small part to the collaboration among several community groups, according to Quyen Rovner, a social worker at Walnut Street.
“Every year, the Nassau County police, the PTA here, our staff, the Kiwanis Club, come together,” Rovner said. “It’s a tremendous collaboration, a community collaboration.”
The parade and toy distribution weren’t just for the students of Walnut Street, she said. Families from other schools in the district were also invited, ensuring that the entire Uniondale community felt included in the holiday celebration.
“It’s not just the elementary school — it doesn’t just serve the kids here,” Rovner said. “We’re bringing everybody, all the families. It serves everyone in this community. We have our little alumni from the middle school and the high school coming to volunteer that have graduated from here. We’re just very open to having everybody come back to us.”
Hofstra University is another partner in the event, and the Hofstra dance team performed before the parade.
“We love coming to events like this,” Danielle Quinn, a fifth-year senior at Hofstra, said. “A big part and value of our program is being able to give back to the community and attend events like this, because it’s really what it’s all about.”
“It was so much fun seeing how excited they got,” Isabella Uberti, a third-year student, said of the children, “not only when we danced, but when we were going up to them when they were getting the gifts.”
Flores expressed her appreciation for not only the event, but for the Walnut Street staff for making it happen and being a part of it.
“The staff members and teachers come out and take time out of their week to come and make sure that their students are happy, and are in a warm and loving environment,” she said.
