Glen Avon student Hannah Webster is on a mission to collect as many toys as she can before Dec. 10, but her efforts are certainly not for her own benefit.
The junior high student is hoping to deliver a gift to each child at the Ronald McDonald House in Edmonton, all in honour of her best friend, Rowan Imeson who passed away a few years ago after being involved in an ATV accident.
“It has been since then that a hole has made its way into my heart,” says Hannah, in a letter she handed out to community members as she does her toy drive.
“It has been my mission ever since to live life to the fullest, the way that she would have wanted me to, and to do everything I can do to fill this hole in my heart,” reads the letter.
Last week, as Hannah spoke to fellow classmates about her project, word of the toy drive got back to Rowan’s parents. On Friday, Rowan’s dad presented Hannah with $500 to go toward the toy drive. The money came from Rowan’s bank account, which was collecting funds before she passed away.
“I felt she would want me to do something like this,” says Hannah, when speaking of the toy drive, Friday afternoon. She said the collected toys were a symbol of the girls’ childhood that they had spent together.
Hannah says she remembers Rowan as someone who always wanted to give to others, which makes the project even more meaningful.
“Rowan was a girl who loved life, always had a smile on her face, and was loved by all that knew her,” says Hannah’s letter. “She was always trying to help those less fortunate, and so I thought that the best way to honour her memory would be to help sick children and their families.”
So far, Hannah is surprised by the amount of support she’s received from the community. Aside from the $500 received from the Imeson family, Hannah has also received a large donation from Magnet Shoes and a couple of other individuals have given monetary donations.
She said she didn’t really have a goal going into her toy drive, but she hopes to be able to give everyone at the house a toy. Hannah says she and her family have visited the Ronald McDonald House in the past, offering whatever help they could.
Hannah’s toy drive will be wrapping up this week on Dec. 10, and then she will use the money collected to purchase the needed toys to be delivered by the Webster family and some friends to the Ronal McDonald House on Dec. 13.
To donate to the toy drive, contact Andrea Webster at (780) 614-3678 or Hannah at (780) 227-1762.
