Citizen of the Week: Helping LI's Children in Need

Welcome to the first edition of the Half Hollow Hills Patch "Citizen of the Week" column. This column is all about ordinary people doing extraordinary things. Do you know someone who is making a difference, has an interesting job or is just someone "you've got to meet?" Nominate them by emailing amanda.lindner@patch.com.

The smile across a child’s face is the only compensation Christina Haight Gillis of Dix Hills receives for working everyday to provide toys, books and clothing to children in need. For Gillis though, it’s the greatest payment of all.

She makes dozens of phone calls each week to arrange deliveries to homeless shelters, recruit volunteers and encourage businesses to make product donations to Toys of Hope Charity, which provides Long Island children and their families with the items.

Working from home, Gillis has helped the chairty expand its reach from 50,000 to 65,000 Long Island residents in fewer than two years.

“I believe in helping our own,” Gillis said. “It’s unfortunate that many people give to other countries when there are kids on Long Island who are hungry and cold.”

What interested Gillis in volunteering with the charity is that Toys of Hope has no paid staff members.

“I like the fact that when you donate it’s not going into someone else's pocket,” she said.

Toys of Hope Children’s Charity President Melissa Doktofsky said that Gillis “is very quiet and modest about how hard she works, but has a huge voice when it comes to helping the homeless, needy families and pets. She devotes all her time after her children leave for school to helping the charity. I have never met a more selfless person who never looks for recognition or praise.”
   
In a downward economic state, finding sponsors and donors has been one of the major hurdles Gillis has overcome in her work.

“Right now it’s a tough time. A lot of small businesses did help, but then they lost their businesses or are still running, but struggling, so I’m really attempting to get the word out,” she said.

Despite the challenges, the rewards of her work keep her going.

“I feel that what goes around comes around,” she said.

Gillis is going strong with her efforts. Her next project is an art auction taking place later this fall.

For more information on Toys of Hope, visit www.toysofhope.org.