CLIPPARD STUDENTS PITCH IN TO HELP OUT TOY BOX

Christmas giving is a tradition at Charles Clippard Elementary School in Cape Girardeau, said fifth-grader Cyndi Ulrich."The families here are really into giving and helping people," Ulrich said.

This year the school's student council decided to focus their holiday giving effort on Toy Box. "Every year since I was in kindergarten, we adopted families," Ulrich explained. "This year we decided to donate to Toy Box because we would be able to help more people."The student council set a goal of 500 toys and has collected more than 200 so far.

Toys are piling up under a Christmas tree in the hallway outside the principal's office. The tree is decorated with hats, mittens and gloves, also destined for the needy children that Toy Box helps.

P.D. Stuart, a fourth-grader, said the gifts will help children whose parents don't have enough money to buy Christmas gifts.

First-grader Anne Marie Bernhardt said some children in Cape Girardeau don't have any toys and don't expect Christmas gifts. "It makes us feel good to help," she said.

Lauren Lynn, a second-grader, agreed. "It's not fair. Some people will get something and some won't." Clippard students are doing their part to make sure every child has a merry Christmas.

Teacher and Student Council sponsor Cathy Cook said Clippard students and their parents come up with lots of ways to donate to worthy causes the Council endorses."Children empty their piggybanks and bring in the money," she said. "One family, instead of going out to supper, ate leftovers from the refrigerator and sent the money they would have spent to school."Toy Box is a joint effort of the Cape Girardeau Jaycees and the Southeast Missourian newspaper.

New, unwrapped toys may be dropped off at Boatmen's Bank, Capital Bank, Coldwell Banker, Gulliver's Travels, Commerce Bank, Mercantile Bank, First National Bank, Chuck E. Cheese's, West Park Mall or the Southeast Missourian.

Donations may be sent to Toy Box Trust, P.O. Box 4, Cape Girardeau, Mo. 63702-0004.