While the \u201cToy Story\u201d movie is filled with slapstick adventure, one Scottsdale teenager\u2019s real-life toy story is deeply emotional, underscoring a biblical message.<\/p>\n
Not only is it better to give than receive \u2013 it\u2019s way more fun, Isabella Bascon-Castillo will tell you.<\/p>\n
Many parents feel like they\u2019re going crazy this time of year, figuring out what perfect presents to get for their kids.<\/p>\n
Then there are those \u2013 as Isabella\u2019s mother knows \u2013 who feel immense angst and pressure, feeling their deserving children will be devastated by getting \u2026 nothing.<\/p>\n
As a new immigrant from Venezuela, single mother Maria Teresa Castillo worked everywhere she could find just to pay rent and put food on the table for her two young children.<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember seeing her come home from work so tired,\u201d Isabella Bascon-Castillo emotionally recalled of her mother. \u201cOr I wouldn\u2019t even see her when she got home; I\u2019d already be in bed.\u201d<\/p>\n
As their first Christmas in the U.S. approached, the family expected little.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mom worked three different jobs \u2013 and they didn\u2019t pay near enough to get gifts for me and my brother,\u201d Isabella said.<\/p>\n
Then, a nonprofit organization \u2013 this was in Utah, and Isabella doesn\u2019t recall the name of it \u2013 matched them with a family that wanted to help those needing a little holiday help.<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember the family walking in with the toys \u2013 and seeing my mom so happy,\u201d Isabella said, getting choked up. \u201cI saw her every single night getting more and more stressful \u2013 and then seeing her with a big smile. It made me really glad.\u201d<\/p>\n
The giving family handed over the presents, with Isabella shrieking with glee as she unwrapped a fancy Barbie doll with purple heels. \u201cI remember thinking, \u2018I need to get these heels when I\u2019m older.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Now 17, Isabella has several pairs of purple-heeled shoes.<\/p>\n
And she\u2019s helping overwhelmed parents get dolls, toy cars, clothes and other presents.<\/p>\n
Isabella lives with her family in Scottsdale and attends Arcadia High School. When a counselor told her about the East Valley Institute of Technology, where she could get a head start on her college career \u2013 inspired by her hard-working mother, Isabella jumped on it.<\/p>\n
She was thrilled to know she could split time between Arcadia and EVIT, where she would earn college credits toward her goal of becoming a child psychologist.<\/p>\n
The practical side was just settling in when Isabella heard of a mind-blowing opportunity.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy first day at EVIT,\u201d she recalled, \u201ca teacher talked about all the stuff we would do \u2013 and she talked about the toy drive. I thought, \u2018Oh that sounds interesting.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Students in EVIT\u2019s Early Childhood Education program annually\u00a0 complete a special class assignment by doing toy drives to collect gifts. They then pass them on, to allow-income parents to provide their children with toys for the holidays.<\/p>\n
After helping hand out toys last year, Isabella stepped up into a leadership role this year.<\/p>\n
At times, she wondered what she got herself into.<\/p>\n
The toughest part?<\/p>\n
\u201cPlanning everything,\u201d she said with a sigh. \u201cI think the hardest part was to get the boxes out to get donations \u2013 calling different places, emailing places, explaining what it was for and what the outcome was going to be.<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore this, I used to be not really comfortable talking over the phone with people I don\u2019t know, that was out of my comfort zone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Last year, the work paid off when it came time to hand out toys to relieved parents.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was the most beautiful thing: being able to watch parents pick out toys they want for kids, and them being so grateful,\u201d Isabella said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was one mother from the same country as me \u2013 I recognized by her accent. We started talking; she was so grateful her son was going to be able to get toys for Christmas. That made me so happy.\u201d<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s event was held Dec. 12, benefitting parents of preschoolers enrolled in Head Start.<\/p>\n
Helping parents explore options, Isabella was all grins \u2013 especially as her mother was next to her, helping hand out the kind of presents the family treasured a few years back.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m really grateful to be doing this toy drive,\u201d Isabella said. \u201cEspecially being a kid that had to get stuff from the community, it makes me so happy to be doing the same for others.\u201d<\/p>\n
EVIT info<\/strong><\/p>\n The annual toy drive is part of the partnership between Maricopa County\u2019s Human Services Department and EVIT that helps address the growing demand for a high quality early childhood education workforce.<\/p>\n EVIT is a public trade school offering tuition-free career training for East Valley high school students and tuition-based training for Phoenix area adults. The school has central campuses in Mesa and the Coronado Fire Academy in Scottsdale.<\/p>\n EVIT offers 50 different occupational programs.<\/p>\n