WKYT viewers help bring some Christmas cheer to Kentucky kids

BREATHITT COUNTY, Ky. (WKYT) - A couple of weeks ago, we partnered with Mission of Hope to raise toys for their annual toy drive.

Monday morning, some of those toys made their way to Breathitt County. The gymnasium at Highland Turner Elementary turned into Santa’s workshop. Students from all grade levels were in for a big surprise, thanks in part to the generosity of WKYT viewers.

Nearly 240 kids were treated to some holiday cheer, getting to pick out toys for themselves and for their family members.

In addition to the toys, each student could also grab a card game hygiene products and a Bible.

Volunteers with Mission of Hope say that they’ve been coming to Highland Turner Elementary for over 20 years and, in that time, the smiles on each student’s face make it worth it year after year.

“Just the faces when they get their toys and they go back and sit down, and they’re all of a sudden sharing them with their friends and they’re opening their bags and they’re like ‘Look what I got. Look what I got.’ There’s like nothing like watching the smiles on their faces,” said volunteer Margaret Davis.

Some of the volunteers we spoke with told us this is the first time that they were able to come back out to Highland Turner Elementary in three years because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but they hope to keep continuing this tradition for many years to come.

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