Imagine having an entire toy store to yourself, and thousands of dollars to spend.
That childhood dream came true in Ottawa early Wednesday morning. A group of volunteers, including 7-year-old Luca Valente and his 4-year-old brother Enzo, had the run of the St. Laurent Toys’R’Us an hour before the store opened. Their goal was to buy nearly 20 thousand dollars’ worth of toys for Toy Mountain.
It was the culmination of a fundraiser held the previous weekend called Winter Glam. The event is organized by local businesses including Fernando Cellini Hair Salon, La Bottega Nicastro, and Shopify. In seven years it has grown into a major contributor to the Toy Mountain campaign.
“It’s really gratifying,” says event organizer Domenico Tomei. “A little bit of a fantasy as well. I’ve always wanted to have my run of a toy store.”
"It's a great feeling, knowing that you can just put anything you want in that cart,” adds Rocco Nicastro.
Perhaps the biggest smiles belonged to shoppers Luca and Enzo. They thought it was fun picking out toys for other children. “Because it’s almost like when I pick the toys, but when I pick other kids’ toys I can pick lots,” explains Luca.
After a few hours of intense shopping, the toys were loaded into a large truck and hauled to the Salvation Army Toy Mountain distribution centre. From there they will be handed out to families in need, hopefully putting smiles on children’s faces all over again.
There is still time to help build Toy Mountain. Click here for more information.
