Zoe Brunick was student teaching last fall when she fell in love with her students’ hearts and wanted to make sure they had a memorable Christmas. With help from friends and her university, she launched a toy drive. “I wanted to add a little bit more joy to that classroom,” Brunick said. “What started off as a small idea turned into something amazing.”
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Initially, Brunick imagined herself and a few of her classmates collecting a few toys and visiting a classroom or two to hand them out before Christmas break. But Brunick soon realized that, as president of engagement for Duquesne’s School of Education Ambassador program, she was in a unique position to rally support — and the toy drive quickly gained momentum.
“I sat down with the administration at King and said, ‘This is what we want to do — a small toy drive,’” Brunick said. “Then I went back to Duquesne and talked to my ambassador program, and they couldn’t have been more excited. It really just went from there.”
Soon, Duquesne students, staff, and even the university’s police department joined the effort. Officers helped transport, and deliver hundreds of toys and books to the school. They even dressed up as Santa and an elf to surprise the students on the day of the event.
“The police helped us load the trucks and get ready to go,” Brunick said. “It was really amazing.”
The university’s curriculum center for the education program also contributed, donating books, school supplies, and drawstring backpacks for every child. Each student received a book bag filled with supplies, a book, two toys, and a stuffed animal. The event included sweet treats and holiday crafts led by Duquesne ambassadors.
“If I wouldn’t have had the support that I had from people around me, it wouldn’t have happened,” Brunick said. “We had ambassadors building cardboard gingerbread houses and creating a whole winter wonderland. I found out very quickly that I needed a group, and I needed people to lean on.”
For Brunick, the experience became one of the most meaningful moments of her college career.
“This is one of, if not the greatest accomplishment I’ve had in my life up to this point,” she said. “At the end of the day, I just thought, ‘Wow, we pulled it off. This happened.’”
Now, as she prepares to graduate and pursue her master’s in school administration, Brunick hopes others will be inspired to act when they see a need.
“If there’s just a little bit in your heart pushing you to do more, follow that,” she said. “There’s no act too small to make a difference.”
