By Courier staff

Condit Elementary School third grader Elizabeth Hayward knows what it’s like to go without.

She and her two brothers were in the foster care system before being adopted in 2018 by Claremont resident Victoria Hayward and her family. And now with six years of stability under her belt, the 9-year-old has launched a toy drive to supply summer gifts to Claremont Unified School District students in foster care.

“I didn’t know … if they have anything for summer,” Elizabeth said. “I was in foster care, and it was really hard. And I just want them to know that they’ll have something to do and that they’re not alone.”

The project got started after Elizabeth came up with a wish list for foster kids. She then contacted CUSD, who gave it their blessing. She worked with district Senior Liaison of Youth and Family Services Rosa Leong, and attended CUSD’s Local Control Accountability Plan meetings to help see it through.

Elizabeth’s aunt Connie Lannom has worked with foster care kids as part of America’s Kids Belong and has seen her sister Victoria Hayward’s family help foster various children over the years. She was heartened to see both CUSD embrace the project, and her young niece’s passion.

“I’ve lived on both sides of working at it as a profession and then experiencing it as a family member,” Lannom said. “Often times you don’t hear a lot of the success stories of kids who have been in foster care, and so it’s neat to see different stories that come alive when kids figure out their passions and their dreams and they can make a difference in helping others.

“We do backpacks for back-to-school, we do toy drives at Christmas, you know some places do Easter baskets around Easter or springtime. I [thought] ‘Yeah, that makes sense, let’s do something for the summer.’”

Condit Elementary School third grader Elizabeth Hayward is pictured Wednesday at Shelton Park with some of the items she has raised thus far in her recently launched toy drive for Claremont Unified School District students in foster care. Donations are being accepted through June 10. Courier photo/Andrew Alonzo

The drive is closing June 10, so those who wish to donate need to do it quickly. Elizabeth is requesting donations of new items for kids, including insulated water bottles, beauty products, sunglasses, bucket hats, frisbee toys, reusable water balloons, bubble wands, footballs, soccer balls, scented bookmarks, crayons, art supplies, magnetic tile and beach toys. The items range in price from $5 to $35 on her Amazon wish list at amazon.com (search up “Splash into Summer”) or follow the link in the May 26 special Foster Care Awareness Month edition of the CUSD Celebrates newsletter at cusd.claremont.edu.

To donate new, unused items not on the list, email Victoria Hayward at vlannom29@gmail.com for information. No food products can be accepted.

Donations have come in from more than 20 Condit teachers, families, and others thus far. Lannom said Elizabeth is always excited to open donation boxes to see what the foster children will be receiving.

“It’s been really heartwarming to see especially her school get behind it,” Lannom said. “We’ve probably had like four or five [five-gallon] boxes this size of stuff we’ve already delivered.

“She’s always had a heart of helping others,” Lannom said of Elizabeth. “We’re proud of her as a family just that she would take the initiative to do something like this.”

After the drive ends Monday, June 10, the toys will be distributed to students in foster care prior to CUSD’s June 13 summer break.

Precocious community organizer Elizabeth said giving to her onetime peers has brought her happiness, adding she wished someone had organized something like it for her and her brothers when they were in foster care. She hopes to make the drive an annual occurrence.

To donate, go to Elizabeth’s Amazon wish list at amazon.com (search up “Splash into Summer”) or follow the link in the May 26 special Foster Care Awareness Month edition of the CUSD Celebrates newsletter at cusd.claremont.edu. The drive closes June 10.