SHS Boys Basketball, Mill Foundation Team Up for Children

Students at Southington High School will take to the basketball court at the start of February to help children in need.

The Southington High School Boys Basketball team will collaborate with the Mill Foundation For Kids and run a toy drive at the game on Friday, Feb. 1, when they play Northwest Catholic High School, according to a press release from Lee McLean-Houle of the Southington High School Athletic Department.

The goal will be to collect as many new and unwrapped toys as possible.  All toys collected will be distributed to our hospital partners or used as part of care packages," McLean said.

Let Patch save you time. Get news like this delivered right to your inbox or smartphone every day with our free newsletter. Simple, fast sign-up here.

"The need for these toys is never ending as so many kids unfortunately have to deal with so many terrible illnesses."

"For them, a toy after a treatment of chemotherapy, or an operation, or being confined to a hospital bed for a long period of time, or after a painful and stressful test is more than just a toy. It’s a moment of normalcy that temporarily frees them from their illness and allows them to just be a kid," McLean said.

"We have seen first-hand the impact that the toys have on these children and how valuable they are to them and their parents."

is a 501(c)3 organization whose goal is to provide comfort and normalcy to children with serious illness as well as to their parents and families. 

The charity does this through three distinct ways:

1. Donating toys, arts & crafts, computers, video games, or whatever local pediatric facilities need for the children who have long hospital stays or who require constant tests and/or checkups. 

2. Monetary donations are made to pediatric research funds whose aim is to eradicate various pediatric illnesses.

3. We deliver care packages to families who have had a child recently diagnosed with a serious illness.  Gifts are given to the child as well as to any siblings and parents.

The hospitals that the foundation currently maintains relationships with include Connecticut Children's Medical Center, Yale New Haven Hospital, The Hospital of Central Connecticut, Hospital for Special Care, Dana Farber Cancer Institute (Jimmy Fund) and Boston Children’s Hospital.

Enjoy the boy’s basketball game Southington High School versus Northwest Catholic and help make a kids’ day brighter by bringing a new/unwrapped toy with you and help support this great cause.

Make sure to like Southington Patch on Facebook and follow on Twitter for breaking news, daily updates and more!