Gifts Of Toys - And Knowledge

For Bob Loring, the holiday party that he hosts each year for a select group of local elementary school students is an entirely selfish effort.

"Usually in Toys For Tots, I hand the toys out to the parents and never get to see the kids opening them," the executive director of Toys for Tots East Pasco said with a smile. "Here I get to see that moment when they open their gifts, the smiles on their faces. It's a beautiful, totally selfish thing I do each year."

Loring emphasizes that education is another focus of this annual celebration, which has taken place for the past eight years at Pasco Veterinary Medical Center in Wesley Chapel.

"We want to get these children interested in careers that relate to their studies," he said. "If they see something here they want to do, like veterinary medicine, it will be great motivation to go back to school and take their studies more seriously."

On Tuesday, Loring and his Toys for Tots volunteers, along with veterinarian Marlene Siegel and the staff at the veterinary center, welcomed 24 handpicked fourth-graders from Lacoochee Elementary School.

"The students think they're here to tour the center," said Tracey Sanderson, guidance secretary and Assist Believe Care program coordinator at the school. "They'll learn about various job opportunities in a medical facility, and the related math and science requirements."

Sanderson said that her students had been talking nonstop about the planned tour; and at the event itself, several of the chosen pupils shared what they wanted to learn that day at the center.

"I want to learn about what kind of animals they have here and how they got here," said Annamaria Gildo, 10.

Tanzania Maillard, 9, also was eager to see the animals - especially the equine variety.

"I want a horse for Christmas," she said.

The fourth-graders did get to see and even mount the center's two resident horses. They also visited exam, lab and X-ray rooms, to learn details about animal care. And they heard brief speeches on this topic from Loring and Siegel.

"You're going to learn all about animals," Siegel said. "You'll see the X-rays that help us look at their bones and organs, see an ultrasound - another way of looking inside the body - and find out what the doctor does during an examination."

Aside from veterinary medicine, they also learned about careers in the military. Sgt. Daniel Conley, a Marine representative of Toys for Tots, told the kids about his life in the armed forces.

"We're here to help people," he told them, "not hurt people."

Anna Fulk, also a longtime Toys for Tots volunteer, said that the children involved benefit from the educational focus of this yearly celebration.

"I love to see the amazement in their eyes as they watch the demonstrations," she said. "They're so inquisitive. Maybe one of these children will be the next big scientist."

The children followed up the informational presentations with a lunch of sandwiches, brownies, sodas and pretzels, provided by Publix of Wesley Chapel. Then they were presented with surprise gifts, courtesy of Toys for Tots.

The boys soon raced their new Real Wheelz miniature cars across the center's counters; the girls, meanwhile, admired their Bratz Fortune Teller games.

"This is better than school!" said Shelby Lindner-O'Dell, 10. "This is awesome!"

Loring agreed.

"Thank you all for giving me such a thrill," he said.

For information about Toys for Tots Pasco, visit www.toys fortotspasco.org.