Recap on the Books & Toys Exchange Event

On Friday, July 18th, I helped out a friend who applied for the Vancouver Foundation Neighborhood Small Grants. Her project was the Books & Toys Exchange event where families can join in for some fun exchanging new or gently used books for their children. There was also a craft table where I helped monitor and assist the children with their creativity. It was a great turn out.

It was a busy morning. I helped bring in the boxes of toys and crafts to put on the tables. The event started at 9:30am, but some of the people were there early before we were even ready. I guess they wanted to pick out and exchange the good stuff ahead of the latecomers.

I really enjoyed helping out and giving my support to making this successful. Before I met the organizer, I actually had this idea when I took the "Pathways to Leadership" program at Frog Hollow Neighborhood House. It was a civic engagement project, but I didn't apply for the Grants.

What I would improve is probably set up a 2nd table just for the books beside the used toys. During the event, we had 1 table for both the used toys and books, another table for new toys (where each child picks a raffle with a number matching that particular toy), a table for the sign-in, and a table for arts & crafts.

Below are some photos from the event courtesy of Tina, the organizer.