In today’s episode of This Hits Different, Shelby Cassesse tells the story of a local high school senior, Abby Mankins of Greensburg Salem, who hosted a basketball clinic to support Toys for Tots.
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Greensburg Salem senior finds unique way to support Toys for Tots
Every senior at Greensburg Salem has to complete a project. The instructions are pretty broad.
It could involve acts like community service, hosting a clinic for kids, basically something that benefits others.
Lady Golden Lions star basketball player Abby Mankins knew immediately she wanted to include her passion, and pass it along.
“I immediately thought, ‘you know, I have a huge passion for basketball and would love to host a clinic here at Greensburg Salem,’” said Mankins.
So, two clinics were in the works. One for kindergarten through 3rd graders and another for 4th and 5th graders, but Abby still felt she could do more.
“I kind of also just love giving back to the community and think that’s every important,” she said. “And I had heard of and knew about Toys for Tots.”
The popular non-profit collects and distributes toys for children in need at Christmas.
The premise of Abby's project was coming together. Instead of asking people to pay for the clinic, she'd ask them to donate a toy instead.
“After this whole pandemic and everything, I think it’s fair to say that a lot of families could be hurting at this time,” Mankins said. “I just thought that, all these toys from my best efforts… whatever I could do to help out.”
Though the most demanding part was the planning process, she says the most stressful part by far was the morning of the clinic. Kids weren’t required to sign up ahead of time, so she didn’t have a clear idea of how many kids to expect.
She only hoped her work to promote the event and advertise at the elementary schools would work. It did.
“When I saw how many people we’re there and how many toys they brought, I was just ecstatic,” Mankins said. “It was awesome. It touched your heart.”
Nearly 100 kids came, brining with them over 100 toys to donate to less fortunate families.
“All these local families who need help, it was heartwarming to see people show up and be there for each other,” she added.
The hard work was over, and Abby could do what she does best, play basketball, and give back.
“You could just see them having a lot of fun,” she said. “That’s really the main point of it, to install the idea of basketball and share my passion with them. By the end of thee day, my helpers and , I think we did a good job.”
Now, approaching her last semester of high school, Abby like many seniors is considering her legacy. She has a pretty good idea of what hers will include.
“It was just kind of a great event to be a part of,” she said. “It was a lot of fun to share our love and our passion. And help, not just the community but these kids in sharing our love of basketball with them.”