Deer Park Students Recognized For Organizing Toy Drive

Press release from Suffolk County Legislator Tom Donnelly:

Feb. 17, 2021

Suffolk Legislator Tom Donnelly (D-Huntington Station) recently honored Deer Park students Tiffany Bala and Kayley Eising with County Proclamations for their outstanding work organizing a COVID-safe toy drive.

After witnessing the impact of COVID-19 on families in need in their community, Ms. Bala and Ms. Eising, President and Vice President of the Deer Park High School Class of 2023 respectively, initiated a toy drive through an online platform so that they could safely collect donations and minimize in-person contacts.

Working with sponsoring charity “The Anthony DeNoyior Memorial Foundation,” which was recently created in the memory of the 20-year Suffolk Volunteer Auxiliary Police Captain and Deer Park resident who passed away from COVID-19, they collected more than 260 toys which were distributed to local families and also to the Marines Toys for Tots Program.

Legislator Donnelly made the presentation outside at one of their homes in Deer Park on February 4. Also on hand to see them honored were Anthony’s wife Stacy and their two sons Joseph and Nicholas. For more information on the foundation please visit www.theanthonydenoyiormemorialfoundation.org.

“Ms. Bala and Ms. Eising saw a need and then, despite the challenges they faced due to the pandemic, demonstrated true community spirit and fortitude to figure out how to safely make dreams come true for so many families in the community,” said Legislator. “I applaud them for demonstrating true community spirit.”

Ms. Bala and Ms. Eising intend to make their toy drive an annual event.

This press release was produced by Suffolk County Legislator Tom Donnelly. The views expressed here are the author's own.