Free toys brighten children’s lives

 

Children receive their toys in Badami Bagh, Lahore, Pakistan.

A girl clutched the new purse she had just received during the annual toy giveaway in the community of Badami Bagh, Lahore, Pakistan.
Another child examined the coloring books and colored pencils with interest, while a crowd of other children and their parents surrounded a table in the market square, waiting their turn to select a free toy.
On 11 July, about a dozen members of the Rotary Club of Lahore Sharqi (East), Punjab, Pakistan, took part in the club’s annual event that distributes toys to the needy children in the community. Longtime club member Asim Qadri started the tradition more than two decades ago.
Each year, club members spend several months collecting toys from businesses, soliciting donations, and raising money to purchase new toys. The looks on the faces of the children when they receive their toys makes all the effort worth it, notes Amir Sultan Rana, who served as the project’s publicity chair this year.

This project is just one of many that Rotary members have posted on Rotary Showcase.