Mom's Memory Inspires Share The Magic Toy Drive

OAK LAWN, IL -- The year 2009 was a glum Christmas for the eleven Aguirre children. Their dear mother, Barbara, who had a special way of creating magic on Christmas, passed away during the holidays after a long, hard fought battle with cancer. Nobody felt much like celebrating. As children, they recalled walking into a living room stacked from floor to ceiling with presents and a beautiful tree. Nobody felt like a forgotten middle child.

The next Christmas the siblings pulled together to honor their mother’s memory. They would spread their magic to other children that weren’t as fortunate as they were growing up in a warm house with two parents who loved them, good food, and, of course, Christmas.

This Saturday, Dec. 8, the Aguirre children, who range in age from 42 through 65, are hosting the eighth annual Share The Magic Toy Drive Inspired By Barbara Aguirre. The toy drive runs from 1 to 6 p.m. at the Johnson-Phelps VFW Post #5220, 9514 South 52nd Ave., Oak Lawn (52nd Avenue and Yourell). A new, unwrapped toy gets you in the door, $10 gets you some tasty food, including a lavish sweets table from Cakes by Frieda. Raffles and a cash bar are also featured. This is an open house, so stay for the entire toy drive or drop off a toy.

Over the years the family has collected thousands of toys, which are distributed to Advocate Children's Hospital in Oak Lawn, LaRabida Children's Hospital, Ronald McDonald House by Advocate Children’s Hospital in Oak Lawn, Catholic Charities, Village of Justice Holiday Food Basket Program, and the Crisis Center for South Suburbia. Barbara's children selected the charitable organizations honoring their mother's childhood roots in Chicago's Back of the Yards neighborhood and in the Oak Lawn and Hometown area, where Barbara and husband Bernard, both of modest means, raised their family.

“My mom was a kind soul who made everyone feel loved and special," said Barbara’s daughter Andrea Aguirre. "She'd give the shirt off her back. She used to say 'I may not have much, but children are my diamonds."

The family is requesting new and wrapped toys and books for children from infancy through high school. Suggested items include games, puzzles, Barbies, superhero figures, Matchbox cars and tracks, and craft kits. For teens, hats, scarves, toiletries and gift cards are recommended. People are asked to refrain from donating stuffed animals for allergy and hygiene concerns, and toy weapons. Businesses are also welcome to drop off raffle prizes at the VFW post.

Each year the toy drive has gotten bigger. Old friends and new friends continue to turn out filling the VFW hall, keeping Barbara Aguirre's memory vibrant and alive by making Christmas magical and hopeful for vulnerable children.

"Losing our mom right before the holidays in 2009 was devastating and the only way we got through it was by coming together as a family," Andrea said. "We did so in the way that we knew mom would want us to and that was by being with each other. We truly felt her presence then and now."

For more information visit the "Share The Magic Toy Drive Inspired By Barbara Y. Aguirre" Facebook page