THE FLATS – Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets helped spread holiday cheer last week as several student-athletes delivered the toys and monetary donations collected during the annual Michael Isenhour Toy Drive. Tech student-athletes delivered record numbers with over 3,000 toys and $10,300 to the Atlanta Children’s Shelter to help make this holiday season possible for several families.
For nearly 10 years, Georgia Tech has donated to the Holiday House event hosted by the Atlanta Children’s Shelter. The donations will be used by the shelter to provide over 250 families and over 500 children Christmas this year.
The Atlanta Children’s Shelter serves families with children under the age of five. Over the course of the three-week collection time, fans were asked to donate new, unwrapped toys.
“The donations from Georgia Tech Athletics is so important because it supports our annual Holiday House event,” said Sandy Holiday, Executive Director of the Atlanta Children’s Shelter. “Through that support and through this event, we’re going to provide a very happy Christmas to over 500 children in need in our city. Those could be children who are homeless – they are all living in poverty – and without the support of community partners like Georgia Tech, they would not be getting a Christmas.”
The Michael Isenhour Toy Drive was founded by former men’s basketball player Michael Isenhour following the events of 9/11 in an effort to assist the families impacted. The toy drive began in 2001 as Isenhour was battling leukemia. The Georgia Tech Student- Athlete Advisory Board renamed it the Michael Isenhour Toy Drive to create an ongoing legacy to their fellow student-athlete, who lost his battle to cancer in 2002.
