Via Community News Service, a University of Vermont internship, for the Rutland Herald
BRANDON — What began as a single project in Brandon to provide Christmas presents to struggling families has since become a five-town volunteer organization committed to equal opportunity.
The Brandon Area Toy Project, which serves the towns of Brandon, Leicester, Whiting, Goshen and Sudbury, supports the community through donation initiatives and affordable, collaborative events such as the increasingly popular Brandon Carnival and Spooksville.
Coordinator Colleen Wright said she was asked to lead the organization 12 years ago by retired founder Kathy Mavis, and gave credit to the community members who propel the organization forward.
“People in Brandon are just great volunteers. Brandon is unique in that people continually step up,” she said.
Wright said she has “the easiest job,” since the project managers she oversees are incredibly trustworthy.
“I don’t have any worries about any of these projects because I know the project managers are so strong and so dedicated that they’re going to get it done,” she said.
The largest annual program is the Toy Project, which benefited 160 children from the five participating towns last Christmas. The project is funded by Brandon community members through angel cards containing anonymous information about children’s ages and preferences, as well as a toy drive at Fostering Wellness, a local business.
Wright noted that the nonprofit does not inquire about a recipient’s income or living situation to participate, only residency within one of the five towns.
Laura Peterson, president of local thrift store Nifty Thrifty, said they have been donating to the organization for years.
“The BATP does so much for so many. It’s a big umbrella of compassion and fun for everyone. We gladly give to them knowing whatever we donate will make someone’s life a little happier, a little better,” Peterson said.
Other current donation initiatives include Christa’s Totes, which donates Hannaford gift cards to families in need, and the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, which provides children free books each month. The Silver Bells and Operation Christmas for Troops programs also involve the community in donating holiday cards to nursing homes and troops overseas.
The project prides itself on its family-friendly events as well, which are open to communities outside the eligible towns.
“The Brandon Carnival is our biggest and most successful fundraiser each year,” Wright said, inviting the public to this year’s event in July at Estabrook Park in Brandon.
The four-day event features free games, activities and live entertainment. The only out-of-pocket costs are rides and food.
Kyle Hutchins, local project manager for the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, spoke about how he and the Brandon group made a national project accessible in their towns.
He said he first learned about the program, launched by Dolly Parton in 1995, when his daughter was born seven years ago. To his disappointment, they were not eligible because they lived in Brandon, which didn’t have a local nonprofit partner.
He said that’s when he approached Wright, asking to partner with the Toy Project.
“She was all for it because literacy in Vermont and in Brandon is so important to the entirety of our community and helping kids grow. It seemed like a natural fit in the spirit of the Toy Project,” Hutchins said.
Currently, more than 100 children under age 5 receive books.
“It’s such a great equalizer. It really is there to promote literacy and promote the bonding between caregiver and child, because when you sit down with a book and your caregiver, you’re really forming that bond and strengthening it,” he said.
Hutchins said district reading interventionists have even commented on the positive impact of the program on early literacy.
Hutchins and Wright agreed that a rewarding part of their roles has been helping kids as they grow up.
“I’ve been able to watch hundreds of kids from the time they were infants until the time they graduated sixth grade, so it’s very cool to be involved,” Wright said.
Hutchins added that more than 140 kids have “graduated” from the Imagination Library, meaning participation from infancy to the age 5, including his daughter.
To donate to the Imagination Library, visit imaginationlibrary.com, and select the Brandon option. To keep up with the Toy Project, follow its Facebook page at “Brandon Area Toy Project – Brandon Christmas Project.”