Vassar Community Makes Annual OCEL Toy Drive a Success
A Vassar holiday tradition that began more than three decades ago is still bringing joy to children of farm workers throughout the Hudson Valley. The annual Toy Drive for the Daughters of Sarah, a local ecumenical women’s group, is organized by the staff of the Office of Community-Engaged Learning (OCEL), but the donations come from students, faculty, administrators, and staff throughout the campus, as well as local businesses and other donors from the community.
Dozens of toys, stuffed animals, books, puzzles and other presents were on display in the OCEL office on December 15 when Daughters of Sarah founder Ruth Faircloth and her volunteers arrived on campus to pick them up. “Vassar has been a blessing for us for more than 30 years,” said Faircloth, who was a farm worker herself and is currently Program Director at Rural & Migrant Ministry, a statewide nonprofit organization that provides services to farm workers and their families.
Members of the Daughters of Sarah host holiday events where farm workers can pick out gifts collected at Vassar and elsewhere for their children. “Rather than simply presenting gifts to these children, we let their parents choose one that they know their kids really want,” Faircloth said. “It’s a more empowering way of gift giving.”
OCEL Office Specialist Ja’na Baylor organized this year’s toy drive, but she said the project was a team effort. “I really appreciated the opportunity to see so many people in the Vassar community come together to make our effort a success,” Baylor said. “Employees at many offices around campus took part, as well as people in the community outside Vassar.”
OCEL Intern Dora Graham ’26, who designed and created posters publicizing the Toy Drive, made sure she was at the OCEL office when Faircloth arrived to pick up the gifts. “It was really great to see this project come to fruition,” Graham said. “It adds another layer to the experience to meet the people who are doing this work.”
Faircloth said she is always confident that Vassar can be counted on to help her organization ensure that the project is a success every year. “Vassar people truly believe in what we are doing,” she said. “They understand the need to empower these families.”