The cost associated with the holiday season can create financial difficulty for some families within our district. So, the Unified Boosters Organization (UBO) is currently working with 29 sports groups and a representative from each school, among many other groups, to help ease the financial burden these families face with Toys For Tigers. 

The local charity closely mirrors a different, national charity that North Allegheny also runs during the holidays, Toys For Tots. The UBO president Georgiana Thomas explained, “the UBO wanted to do something for a charity. Mr. Bozzuto suggested Toys For Tots, and I suggested we do Toys For Tigers because I felt there was a need for help within our district.”  

With Toys For Tigers, gifts are bought solely for kids in our district, and you are actually buying for the whole family, not just one child. “When you take a specific person, not by name, if there are siblings in their family you’re buying for them too. We aren’t only taking a child but also taking care of a family,” explained Mr. Bozzuto.

He also expressed the importance of working together to help those in our own community, our school. “It really is a community program where we get a chance to each year makes it easier for families who could have some economic problems. It ensures a lot of our students and kids can have a little bit of a special day,” said Mr. Bozzuto. 

Mr. Greenleaf echoed similar thoughts. “Christmas was special for me growing up, and I know that some people are in a place in their life where they can’t make that special Christmas, so this helps those people,” he explained.

“If you want to contribute, you can easily contribute,” Greenleaf added. 

Students can most easily help by donating money or a check made out to the UBO by dropping it off in the athletic office. “Our group will go out and purchase and wrap the gifts. That’s a passion for me to help our own children that need help in North Allegheny. The UBO is a group that feels we all should help and support each other in whatever ways we can,” said Thomas. 

Additionally, students have the option to directly go shopping and wrap the presents for an anonymous kid after being provided simply with their interests.

The offensive linemen on the NA football team have already raised over $600 to go shopping. With the money raised, Mr. Bozzuto explained, “they’re going to go shopping for specific children. They don’t know their names but they just know what they’re interested in.”

Contribution by Toys For Tigers’ vendors is vital in the success of the charity. “Monte cellos has been a gracious part of this whole process by giving gift cards for food, takeout, and eating inside. They give between  $1,000 and $2,000 a year,” said Bozzuto. 

With December just starting, Toys for Tigers is already well underway but isn’t close to being done yet. “We’ll go through absolutely the holidays. With Monday being the 23rd, we’ll use that day or even the 24th to finish delivering gifts,” Bozzuto explained.