By Bill Slocum
Contributing Editor
Christmas came a little early for families who take part at Family Centers’ Head Start program, thanks to some friendly toybringers at W. R. Berkley Corp.
The Greenwich-based insurance company gifted a large consignment of new toys for children at the pre-school program, based at the Armstrong Court housing complex in Byram. W. R. Berkley has been bringing food and toys to Armstrong Court in connection with Christmas and Thanksgiving for over ten years.
“We like to give our part this time of year,” said Roy Perciasepe, property manager at W. R. Berkley. “It’s fun. I love it.”
The presents this year filled a six-foot-by-seven-foot box decorated with gift wrapping that was stationed at W. R. Berkley’s office lobby on Steamboat Road. Items donated, all brand-new, included Star Wars action figures, Lego construction kits, Barbie dolls, and art supplies. One giant stuffed tiger filled a long cardboard box by his lonesome.
The toys are given to parents as they come to the Head Start pre-school to pick their children up, with teachers assigning presents to children based on such considerations as their ages and gender. The Head Start program at Armstrong Court serves 63 children ages two through five from throughout town, all of whom qualify for assistance as lower-income families.
“Every child is guaranteed to get one gift for the holidays, which is nice,” said Jennifer Flatow, director of community engagement at Family Centers, which has its headquarters in central Greenwich.
Family Centers and W. R. Berkley are also providing food for the children’s parents this holiday season. With the Head Start preschool closed from Christmas to New Year’s Day, attending children will not be getting their usual breakfast and lunch meals, which places the burden for that on their parents directly. The donations from W. R. Berkley are meant to help tide families over until preschool reopens.
SUVs from Family Centers rolled into Armstrong Court late Monday morning, each loaded with toys after stopping off at W. R. Berkley. Flatow and Perciasepe then carried the toys inside. Even with help from three Family Centers staffers, Vice President Jim Vivier, Grants Manager Kara O’Connor, and Communications Director William Bruckner, multiple trips were required to lug all the toys and other presents inside the Head Start building offices, where teachers then began the process of figuring out their distribution.
It looked to be a long day. “This was maybe our biggest year for collecting toys,” Perciasepe noted. “It’s a wonderful event. Everyone loves to donate food and gifts for kids in town.”
Other gifts that were contributed to the drive included monster truck toys, Lite Brite glow-toy kits, foam bats and balls, Hot Wheels cars, and Frozen dolls.
“These are all low-income families whose kids take part in this,” Vivier said. “So having these toys will make a big difference for them this Christmas.”
