Hundreds of new toys, books, puzzles and “stuffies” will brighten the lives of children of all ages this holiday season.

The BCHS Senior Council led the school’s effort to support the Marine Corps Reserve’s Toys for Tots program. Senior class faculty advisor Jess Westervelt and BCHS school resource officer Det. Michael Berben worked together to make this year’s Toys for Tots collection a huge success. BCHS Student Senate and the advisor A.G. Irons also assisted in collecting toys for the donation drive.

The Capital Region Toys for Tots program serves children in 14 local counties, including Albany County. In 2023, the Capital Region Toys for Tots distributed 682,145 toys to more than 400,000 children. 

The toys collected at the high school this year were picked up by two Toys for Tots representatives from the BC community: Steve Peterson, a volunteer
for the Capital Region Toys for Tots logistics team and Andrew Lennox, a captain in the U.S. Marine Corps and a 2011 graduate of BCHS.

Captain Lennox commended the students for their leadership and community service.

“Looking back, I feel like I was somewhat selfish in high school,” Captain Lennox told members of the Senior Council. “I don’t think I realized then how important programs like Toys for Tots are. I want you to know that what you are doing means so much to families. You’ve done something very special.”

Steve Peterson told the students that the school-based toy drive is one of the reasons the Capital Region Toys for Tots is so successful.

“The Capital Region program is the number one largest Toys for Tots in the entire United States,” said Peterson. “The Bethlehem community is a big part of that.”

You can learn more about Capital Region Toys for Tots here.