Nursing Club Toy Drive

The Hood College Nursing Club helped to spread a healthy dose of holiday cheer this season, with a toy drive for children at the pediatric unit of Frederick Health Hospital. Nursing students, many of whom perform their clinical internships at Frederick Health, organized the toy drive after learning that hospital staff relied on donations for the children.

Nwamaka Ejiogu ’25, a nursing major who completed her clinical internship at Frederick Health’s pediatric unit, brought the idea to the Nursing Club.

“Staff would provide the patients with toys to make their stay in the hospital more comfortable,” said Ejiogu. “I noticed they were running out, so I decided to make a proposal to the Nursing Club to see if we could set up a donation drive.”

The Nursing Club unanimously backed the idea, and members worked quickly to organize the drive. McKayla Staley ’25, president of the Nursing Club, marketed the initiative through social media and created flyers to hang up around campus, while Ejiogu took the lead on outreach.

Together, they set up donation bins and collaborated with the Frederick County Health Department, the Office of Alumni and Constituent Engagement, the Department of Nursing and the Georgetown Hill Lab School to increase awareness.

What they didn’t expect was the overwhelming community support, which resulted in more than 200 items being donated to the drive.

“The generosity from the campus and local community was amazing and made all the effort worthwhile,” said Staley.

“I was completely surprised at the amount of donations we received. I expected some donations but definitely not the amount we ended up receiving,” said Ejiogu.

Both the children and staff at the hospital were thrilled with the outpouring of support. For Staley, seeing the response from children at the hospital made all the hard work worthwhile.

“I was there when we delivered the toys, and it was such a heartwarming experience,” said Staley. “The kids’ faces lit up as we walked in—it was like being Santa for the day. Seeing their excitement and joy was absolutely priceless.”

Ejiogu and Staley both noted that extracurricular activities and community projects like the toy drive are a crucial part of the Nursing Club and emphasize the importance of giving back.

“These projects are vital because the kids in the hospital are not only dealing with illnesses, but also are missing out on the joy of the holiday season,” said Staley. “We wanted to ensure that every child in the hospital still experiences a sense of comfort and happiness during such a special time of year.”

“Having to go to the hospital is already a tough experience as an adult, but even more for a child, especially if they must stay in the hospital for recovery,” said Ejiogu. “Anything to make it less stressful is a good thing. The fact that I managed to do something like this and succeed will be something I will remember for many years.”