I would just like to send a big Thank You out to everyone in the community that donated toys to the Clover Children Foundation. The turn out of toys that we collected in the end was more than I could have ever expected. I can not wait to hear about the children's reactions to their new toys. I've decided to keep updating my blog so I can share the excitement with everyone else. Once again, thank you to everyone that helped my cause.
-Anna Minnock

My friend Sarah Guarente and I helping load all of the donations into the crate

This is Abassi, myself, and his two youngest sons

Summer Edition of the Toy Drive

Generous donation from the Conroy Family. Very much appreciated-- Thanks Again

Me and Abassi

Bucket full of toys!

Your chance to contribute

If you would like to contribute toys, sports equipment, baby supplies (no car seats), in good condition or not, I will have the collection located at my house for the month of August. We can also arrange for me to pick up the toys from you. If you would like to donate money to defray the cost of the container and shipping you can make out a check to Anna Minnock, CCTP (Clover Children's Toy Project).

My information:

amminnock95@gmail.com

(1781)686-0635

Our collection so far

This is me and Abasi's wife, Salma. We are unloading new recycled toys at her house for the container. 

Three strollers, two bikes, one rocking horse.

Bikes.

With Abasi's wife and two sons.

The Container Story

Ever since I can remember, every Saturday morning, my dad would take his weekly “dump trip” to the Wellesley Recycling Center. I never really understood the importance of my town’s recycling center, until I realized all of the good it really stands for. Not only does it save the community money by replacing a trash pick up company, but also it stands as a place where you can go to drop off what seems to be a worthless item and someone can take it and reuse it for their personal desire. About a year ago, My dad’s coworker, Abasi Semakula, asked my dad if he had any old bikes lying around that he would want to give to him. My dad asked him why he wanted the old bikes, and if he was planning on using them for his personal use. Abasi proceeded to tell my dad his reasoning for wanting the bikes, and what he was going to use them for. He told my dad that he was filling up a container of old toys, bikes, and sports equipment; basically anything that a child could play with, and sending the crate to his native village in Uganda, Africa. Abasi created The Clover Children’s Toy Project, based at his house in Maynard Massachusetts, where he fills up a container of the recycled toys and ships them back to the hundreds of poor Ugandan children whose families are unable to buy them their own toys to play with. The crates of toys sent over not only allow the children to play with them, but has also affected their happiness and outlook on life. The older children fix the toys that aren’t as new as some and are able to get them working again which results in life long working skills. When I learned about how life-changing toys were to these kids, I realized how lucky I was to grow up with so many. I knew that I wanted to help and give back to others in some way. Recycling the toys that I had out grown and no longer had use for was one way I could do so. I remember the first time, loading up my dad’s black pickup truck, with bikes, roller blades, action figures, and balls from my house and giving it to Abasi for his crate. He was so thankful and appreciative of my efforts to supply these children, half way around the world, with toys. He told me that the children in the village would be forever grateful for my donations, and that I had done a great deed. What I had done was only a small contribution to the project, but I really liked the feeling I got from donating to this cause. 

About me: Anna Minnock

Growing up as a child, I was the youngest in my family. My two older siblings were 6 and 8 years older than me, which made it difficult for us to play together since we had such different interests. Fortunately, I was lucky enough to be given an abundance of toys to play with which always kept me busy. When I was 6, my baby sister was born, and the toys that I grew up with were passed on to her. My parents really liked the idea of “recycling” my toys, then having to go out and buy new ones each time my sister needed something to play with. In early 2010, Abasi Semakula started The Clover Children’s Toy Project, based at his house in Maynard Massachusetts to collect recycled toys in a container ad ship them to his native village in Uganda, Africa. I want to place my own container at our Recycling center, or at my house, to collect toys that the recycling center no longer wants to keep. I plan on assembling a system where I’ll be able to go to houses to sort and pick up the toys for the container. I think that advertisement throughout the community would help benefit my cause by inviting more people to contribute and be apart of this great experience. I plan on working on my own adaptation of the Clover Children’s Toy Project, and furthering my involvement with providing toys to the Children in Uganda.