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Feature News | Wednesday, January 11, 2017

Toy giveaway brightens Christmas for needy children

Annual event, sponsored by St. Vincent de Paul Society, takes place on feast of Three Kings

MIAMI | Isabel Munguia, 16, was absolutely thrilled when she received a new bicycle at the St. Vincent de Paul Radio Paz Conference’s annual Three Kings toy distribution. She was eight years old at the time.

“That was my most memorable Christmas gift,” she said. “My father was deported and my mother abandoned us. I was living with my uncle and we didn’t have much money. We got help from the St. Vincent de Paul Society.”

Santa Claus Victor Martell holds Kevin Pineda, 10 months old, during the Radio Paz St. Vincent de Paul Conference's toy distribution, held at Altagracia Mission in Allapatah on Three Kings weekend.

Photographer: MARLENE QUARONI | FC

Santa Claus Victor Martell holds Kevin Pineda, 10 months old, during the Radio Paz St. Vincent de Paul Conference's toy distribution, held at Altagracia Mission in Allapatah on Three Kings weekend.

Munguia wanted to give back to the society and she now volunteers by answering phone calls and organizing food donations. She has become a youth leader and speaks about teen issues on Radio Paz every first Sunday of the month.

“What they do is really great,” she said. “I see the reaction on the kids’ faces. That’s the way I felt.”

About 500 needy children received at least three toys each, and a total of 158 bicycles were distributed, during a Three Kings celebration Jan. 7 in the Altagracia Mission of Corpus Christi Church in Allapattah. The building is also the home of the archdiocesan station, Radio Paz 830 AM, where Victor Martell hosts the conference's radio program every Sunday from 3:30-4:30 p.m.

Martell directs the Radio Paz Conference, which helps the poor through the weekly radio program, by matching callers' needs with listeners' donations. He is former president of the Central Miami-Dade Council of the Society and of the Archdiocese of Miami Council. He is also the director of “Vincentian” magazine and has volunteered with the society for more than 25 years.

“I am retired and all my volunteer time and efforts are dedicated solely to the Society,” he said. “My only desire and aspiration is to be on the side of the poor and marginalized.”

Martell, sporting his all-white hair and beard, dressed as Santa Claus for the occasion. He posed for photos with children and led the toy distribution in the mission’s chapel. A day later he did the same at St. Martin de Porres Parish in Homestead, giving about toys for about 150 children, including 20 bicycles.

The gifts came from many donors. Martell promoted the toy drive by conducting a marathon on his radio program in October. Nanette Borches’ company, Sandisk, Latin-America, also helped out, freeing her and three other employees for four hours of community work.

“We collected 4,000 toys during a toy drive and $1,000 which Sandisk matches,” said Borches, a St. Vincent de Paul volunteer. “We placed 12 boxes for toy donations at various locations. The company also provided a delivery truck and driver to load the truck. We collected 16 pallets of toys and electronics for kids from infants to 14 years old. Most of them didn’t receive a toy for Christmas.”

Volunteer, Max Alvarez, 9, helps Jayson Gurbus, 5, pick out toys at the Radio Paz St. Vincent de Paul Conference's toy distribution, held at Altagracia Mission in Allapatah on Three Kings weekend.

Photographer: MARLENE QUARONI | FC

Volunteer, Max Alvarez, 9, helps Jayson Gurbus, 5, pick out toys at the Radio Paz St. Vincent de Paul Conference's toy distribution, held at Altagracia Mission in Allapatah on Three Kings weekend.

Another group of donors have something special in common. They discovered each other on Facebook. The “Miami in the decade of the ‘60s” group is made up of women who arrived in Miami from Cuba in the 1960s. All attended Miami High School and Ada Merritt Junior High School.

“Our group of about 70 women met at a local La Carreta Restaurant for a Christmas lunch,” said Miriam Garcia. “We had a 50-50 raffle and raised more than $1,000.”

Garcia brought her two grandchildren, Carolina Alvarez, 10, and Max Alvarez, 9, to help distribute toys to the younger kids, an experience she hoped would teach them to help other children.

Norma Diaz Portillo and her family have been going through hard times. The toy giveaway made the season brighter for her children, Joshua Portillo, 2, and Fatima Diaz Portillo, 5.

“My husband works as a custodian and I am not working right now,” she said. “This is truly a blessing for us.”

Martell said that he felt very good about the event, the culmination of a busy holiday season where his conference also gave away 234 complete turkey meals at Thanksgiving and 243 roasted pork meals at Christmas.

“I work all year for this,” he said. “We had a marathon with many organizations helping to make this a success. Every year it gets better. We get more volunteers, more kids, more toys. I thank Father Roberto Cid, Radio Paz director, for allowing us to have this event in the Altagracia Mission chapel.”

Corrected: This article has been changed to clarify that the Radio Paz Conference of the St. Vincent de Paul Society is the group that organizes the annual toy distribution. It carries out its work year-round via its weekly radio program, which airs from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Sundays. Victor Martell is director of the Radio Paz Conference, and former (not current) director of the Miami Central District Council, as well as former president of the archdiocesan council.

Comments from readers

VICTOR MARTELL - 01/16/2017 09:14 AM
wONDERFUL ARTICLE BUT HAS SOME WRONG INFORMATION MAYBEE BECAUSE THE REPORTER ONLY SPEAK ENGLISH AND THE ACT WAS IN SPANISH
Nanette Borches - 01/14/2017 11:43 AM
Maureen, thanks so much for the great coverage of this event. If anyone is interested in donating for next year, they can feel free to contact me. God bless!

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