21st-Annual Isenhour Toy Drive Set for Saturday

THE FLATS –The Georgia Tech Student-Athlete Advisory Board (SAAB) will hold its 21^st-annual Michael Isenhour Toy Drive at Saturday’s football game versus archrival Georgia (Noon – Bobby Dodd Stadium).

Fans are asked to bring donations of new, unwrapped toys for children of all ages to Saturday’s game. Monetary donations are also accepted (patrons wishing to make a monetary donation are asked to please make checks payable to “Georgia Tech Athletic Association”). Georgia Tech student-athletes and members of Georgia Tech’s Gamma Eta chapter of Alpha Xi Delta sorority will be stationed at all Bobby Dodd Stadium gates from 10 a.m. until kickoff to collect donations.

For fans that wish to make a donation but are unable to attend Saturday’s game, collection bins will be available in the main lobby of the Edge Center (corner of Bobby Dodd Way and Techwood Drive) the weeks of Nov. 29-Dec. 3 and Dec. 6-10 (8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday).

Toys and monetary donations that are collected will be delivered to local children’s charities on Dec. 13, with the Atlanta Children’s Shelter serving as the primary beneficiary.

The Isenhour Toy Drive was founded in 2001 by Georgia Tech men’s basketball student-athlete Michael Isenhour, whose inspiration was to assist families impacted by the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Isenhour, who was battling leukemia when he started the toy drive, lost his battle with the disease in 2002. SAAB renamed the toy drive in his honor in order to create an enduring legacy in memory of their fellow student-athlete.

Each year, the Michael Isenhour Toy Drive has produced record donations. This year’s goals are 2,500 toys and $10,000 in monetary donations.

The Isenhour Toy Drive returns to its traditional form in 2021 after SAAB participated by fulfilling contactless wish lists in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Alpha Xi Delta is supporting this year’s Isenhour Toy Drive as part of its Kindly Hearts Campaign to benefit K-12 children in need. In addition to assisting with Saturday’s efforts, Alpha Xi Delta has been instrumental in fundraising and toy collection through other campus organizations and events. Alpha Xi Delta has a long history of supporting Georgia Tech athletics. Mewborn Field, the home of Georgia Tech softball, is named in honor of Gamma Eta chapter founding member Shirley Clements Mewborn.

Alexander-Tharpe Fund

The Alexander-Tharpe Fund is the fundraising arm of Georgia Tech athletics, providing scholarship, operations and facilities support for Georgia Tech’s 400-plus student-athletes. Be a part of developing Georgia Tech’s Everyday Champions and helping the Yellow Jackets compete for championships at the highest levels of college athletics by supporting the Annual Athletic Scholarship Fund, which directly provides scholarships for Georgia Tech student-athletes. To learn more about supporting the Yellow Jackets, visit atfund.org.   

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