Witmer Public Safety Group (WPSG), Inc. was proud and excited to assist with Jerry Corrado’s annual toy drive by delivering nearly 60 unwrapped presents to his home on Dec. 19. Corrado, a former WPSG, Inc. employee, had been collecting and delivering presents to children in the pediatric ward and emergency room at Chester County Hospital for 10 years prior to WPSG, Inc.’s involvement this year.
“(My wife and I) started the toy drive when our daughter was working as a medical tech in the pediatric unit (at the hospital),” Corrado said. “She noticed how old the toys were in the toy room. So we asked if we could do a toy drive (during the holidays). The hospital agreed to it, and the first year we collected around 250 toys.”
worthy cause
Instead of stockpiling the toys in the toy room, Jerry and his wife gave them directly to the children. Each subsequent toy drive produced more toys than the previous year. In 2016, 1,687 were collected and distributed.
Because of Corrado’s steadfast, selfless dedication to elevating children’s spirits during the holiday season, WPSG, Inc. decided to get involved with the toy drive: From Dec. 5 to Dec. 15, employees were asked to donate unwrapped, new toys. At the conclusion of the effort, over 60 had been collected – ranging from books and stuffed animals to board games – easily filling two large, cardboard boxes.
“As a company, we wanted to contribute to this worthy cause to make Jerry feel loved,” said WPSG, Inc. Merchandising Specialist Amanda Keesey. “We wanted to let him know that he has a whole team of people behind him that care,” she said.
toy drive
Keesey, accompanied by several other employees and WPSG, Inc. President Ruth Witmer, loaded the boxes into a company van Tuesday night and dropped them off at Corrado’s home. Additionally, Corrado’s holiday spirit extends past his philanthropic endeavors: His house and front yard are adorned with festive, holiday-themed lights, decorations, and ornaments.
While visually impressive, his Christmas-themed display is also used as an entrée to entice onlookers into learning about the toy drive. On Saturday, Corrado and his wife delivered a total of 1,614 toys to the hospital.
