Hollywood Hosts Gift Drive Through Saturday

This weekend, patrons enjoying movies at Dormont’s Hollywood Theater also can help a child have a happier holiday.

The Friends of the Hollywood Theater are holding a holiday gift drive through Saturday to benefit the kids of The Bradley Center.

“I started working with the Bradley Center doing drives a few years ago,” said Sandy Stuhlfire, treasurer for the Friends organization. “Every year we try to be involved.

The Bradley Center, a non-profit organization in Robinson, provides therapeutic care to youth ages 6 to 18 who have experienced some type of trauma. While some children have not recovered enough to leave the facility for the holidays, others don’t have homes to go to.

Donated gifts will be wrapped and delivered to the children at the center for the holidays. The collection box is looking pretty full right now, Stuhlfire said, but more is better.

“Anyone I’ve mentioned this to has been really willing to participate,” she said. “People from work, who don’t even live in the community have donated some things because they knew about it.”

The most requested items from children at the center are Webkinz, art kits, puzzles, card games and remote control cars. Radios, CD players, CDs and DVDs also are popular items.

Gift cards—for clothing or toy stores, book or music stores, restaurants or movie tickets—sometimes are the best option, Stuhlfire said.

“That gives them the opportunity to go out and make their own choices,” she said. “It’s two-fold because they can choose what they want, but they also have a chance to get out in the community

Theater patrons wishing to participate should bring an unwrapped gift to the theater. For gift-giving guidelines, see the Hollywood Theater’s website.