St. Catherine Students Collect Over 900 Toys For Toy Drive

OAK LAWN, IL -- The spirit of giving is alive and well this Christmas season at St. Catherine of Alexandria School in Oak Lawn. Students held a toy drive to support the Kevin Dowling Christmas Is For Kids Toy Drive. The school collected over 900 toys which will be handed out to sick children at Little Company of Mary Hospital, La Rabida Children's Hospital, Loyola Hospital's Ronald McDonald Child Life Program and Burn Center Program, the Keyser Center at Children's Hospital as well as Courage in Oak Lawn.

Kevin Dowling was the co-captain of the Mt. Carmel High School football team, when he became ill at football practice during an extreme heatwave Aug. 11, 1995. He died a few weeks later of cardiac arrest and liver failure brought on by heatstroke. The Kevin Dowling Scholarship Fund promotes the education of three students currently enrolled in Catholic School, as well as holds an annual Christmas toy drive.

The toys are being donated in honor of Marty Brogan, a St. Catherine student, and Beau Dowling. Marty is a kindergartner at St. Catherine, who, with his friend Beau Dowling in Beverly, has fought the battle of childhood cancer and is now in remission.

“We are very proud of our St. Catherine community for supporting such a worthy cause,” said Megan Soch, a computer teacher at St. Catherine.