Hillcrest residents and staff participate in the Spark of Love toy drive. (Photo courtesy of La Verne Hillcrest)

This holiday season, the residents at the Hillcrest continuing care retirement community in La Verne, CA, donated their time and money to a great cause: the 30th annual Spark of Love Toy Drive. 

To do their part, the residents collected and distributed new, unwrapped toys and sports equipment to underserved children and teens in Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Orange, Ventura and Riverside counties. Sponsored by the Los Angeles County Fire Department, ABC7, Toys for Tots and Southern California firefighters, the Spark of Love toy drive has successfully collected and distributed almost 9 million toys over the years. 

“The Spark of Love program in the La Verne area provided brand new toys for many families, including within our community,” shares Shirley Turner, director of sales and marketing for Hillcrest. “There was such an overflow of love that we were able to share the donations with four other local charitable organizations, too.”

Thanks to the efforts of Hillcrest residents, many children across Southern California will experience the joy of unboxing their Christmas presents. Although they were thrilled just to provide special gifts to those in need, the residents hope to eventually connect with the families they assisted.

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