Children's Hospital Eid Toy Drive

The Children’s Hospital Eid Toy Drive was created to bring the joy of Eid to children who have to spend the holiday in the hospital, in addition to alleviating some of the hardship on caregivers. Eid is a Muslim holiday centered around family, community, celebration, and gift-giving, but hospitalized children may not be able to experience it in the same way. For this project, I collaborated with the Mayor’s Office of Muslim Engagement, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), Muslim student organizations, and community partners across Philadelphia to collect new and hospital-approved toys. I coordinated outreach, partnerships, drop-off locations, promotion, and the final delivery to CHOP. In total, the initiative collected over 160 toys and became CHOP’s first-ever Eid Toy Drive. This project taught me that no matter what hardships or roadblocks arise, it is important to persevere and remember your “why”. I hope to continue the initiative and expand it so that more children and families can experience the joy of Eid in times of hardship.