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18 Years, 10K Toys, 1000s of Coats: Lakeview Event Helps Kids Play, Be Warm

By Ariel Cheung | December 1, 2015 6:04am
 The 18th annual toy drive will take place Friday with the hopes of getting 1,000 toys donated and money to get coats for Chicago children.
Vincent Babiarz Memorial Toy Drive Set To Help Kids Stay Warm, Enjoy Christmas
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LAKEVIEW — The first ripple was a dinner party.

Su Bermingham hosted a holiday party at her Lakeview home, asking guests to bring a gift to donate to Lakeview Pantry.

"There weren't very many — about 15 — so the next year, I said I'd do a little better job," Bermingham said.

In the 18 years since, the now-annual toy drive's effects have rippled through Chicago. This year, the one-night event starts at 7 p.m. Friday at Murphy's Bleachers, 3655 N. Sheffield Ave. Attendees are asked to bring an unwrapped, new toy.

Since those first 15 gifts, the Friends of Lakeview Pantry have given 10,000 gifts and dozens of coats to children across the city.

It also gave a grieving mother hope.

Five years ago, Vincent Babiarz died in a drowning incident. A week later, Bermingham called his mother, whose older son was friends with her son. Bermingham offered to rename the toy drive in Vincent's honor.

"I was still a mess, in crisis mode," Danielle Babiarz said Monday. But as a past attendee of the toy drive and former board member of Lakeview Pantry, "I immediately said, 'Yes,'" she said.

The next year, Babiarz asked if they could add a component to the event that had a direct connection to her often-cold son, who liked to snuggle with his parents to keep warm.

"I wanted to do something to help kids get warm," Babiarz said. Co-organizer Emily Haite suggested Coat Angels, and it proved to be a perfect fit.

Students from Casals Elementary School pose like superheroes after getting winter coats from Coat Angels on Nov. 23, 2015. [DNAinfo/Ariel Cheung]

Micki LeSueur and a group of friends started the nonprofit in 2006, when a teacher told them that children were coming into class without coats, even on the coldest Chicago days.

A year later, they raised enough for an entire school. In all, Coat Angels has helped more than 4,000 children; its 2015 season began last week at Casals Elementary School in Logan Square and Legacy Charter School in North Lawndale.

The drive is staffed fully by volunteers, and all donations are used to buy coats, fleece jackets, hats and gloves for children in Chicago schools. For the next three weeks, they'll visit more than a dozen schools to donate the winter clothing.

"Please understand it's not about us. We just kind of go with the flow, and it's about making sure these kids get the coats they need," LeSueur told volunteers.

A volunteer with Coat Angels helps a Casals Elementary School student try on his new fleece. The Chicago nonprofit donates hundreds of coats to local children each year. [DNAinfo/Ariel Cheung]

The Vincent Babiarz Memorial Toy Drive now splits its efforts between Lakeview Pantry and Coat Angels. For the first year, it will also include an online raffle with a $5,000 grand prize featuring items like Lollapalooza tickets and Cubs rooftop seats. The raffle aims to raise $20,000 to give 200 families food for a month through Lakeview Pantry and 200 coats for children.

"None of us are immune to misfortune. For a parent to give a gift to their child on Christmas and allowing that parent to be empowered is something that really empowers me," Babiarz said. "You never know how much that tiniest gesture is going to ripple outward and affect so many other people."

Guests Friday are asked to bring a new, unwrapped gift marked with the appropriate age and a suggested gender. The suggested minimum retail price is $10 per gift, and presents for older children are especially needed.

The event will feature a made-to-order pasta bar and a performance by Red Pop Fury.

"You really can't get any more grassroots than this, and it's a real nice way to see so many different connecting points come together for a single cause in Lakeview," Bermingham said.

Last year, the toy drive brought in about 600 presents, but Bermingham said organizers are hoping to reach the total 1,000 that would fully meet the needs of Lakeview Pantry recipients.

"I think the moral of the story is that any one person can make a difference," Bermingham said. "You don't have to be a corporation or entity — you can be a mom trying to make a difference, and with a little bit of effort and organization, rally your friends."

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