We know there are many organizations throughout the world that work tirelessly year round, but especially so during the holidays, to bring a sense of hope and good will to those in need. For many years, le•top has worked with one such group in our area. Attorneys For Children is a self-funded group of volunteer attorneys who become very industrious elves from August through January. They hone gift lists for shelters and other organizations that serve the homeless and indigent. They make early morning runs to purchase toys and other gifts, then sort and bag them, and then distribute the gifts late into the night, close to Christmas. They do this to ensure that homeless children have at least one new gift to open during the holiday season, and just as importantly, to let children in shelters (or otherwise in need) know that the community values them and has faith in their futures.
For almost 20 years, Attorneys For Children (AFC) has distributed thousands of toys, books, clothing and educational games to more than 20 shelters and other programs serving children in need throughout Alameda County (CA). In all, AFC has donated approximately 60,000 gifts! The Attorneys for Children Holiday Toy Drive for Homeless Children has no paid staff, office space nor administrative overhead, so one hundred percent of the funds raised by the toy drive go to purchase toys and other gifts for the children in need. With the cash donations, AFC is able to purchase a wide variety of toys, clothes and books for children from infants to teens, and backpacks, watches, and personal grooming items for homeless adolescents. Funds received too late for that year’s holiday season are used as seed money to purchase toys for the next holiday season.
We at le•top are honored to be a corporate sponsor of this great organization, and we applaud the efforts of all the dedicated people around the world, who give so much back to their community.
Editor’s note: The Allen E. Broussard Scholarship Foundation acts as the fiscal agent for Attorney For Children. AEBSF is a qualified non-profit, tax deductible entity under the United States Internal Revenue Code 501c(3). If you wish to make a tax deductible donation, checks may be made payable to: AEBSF/Toy Drive. Please mail checks to: Attorneys For Children – Toy Drive, c/o 1563 Solano Ave., Box 116, Berkeley, CA 94707
Le Top blog 
Dear Erin,
It’s a lovely tribute to our group. Thank you so very much!
Frankly, the tribute really should go to le•top, Chris and Paul for their incredible generosity year after year for so long! Karen, too has worked very hard on the donations. My “treat” for volunteer work is that when we sort and bag le•top’s donations, I get to oooohhh and ahhhhh the wonderful toys and clothes. I indulge myself, briefly, hugging some of the soft and darling stuffed animals (with the plastic on, don’t worry) and feel so warm and cuddly and happy. I think little children feel the same when they receive these lovely toys. The clothes are absolutely gorgeous, and we keep interrupting others by saying, “Hey, take a look at this darling outfit!!” We have been so blessed by le•top’s support of our program. (It’s nice to get a bit of positive press for lawyers….:-))
Thank you, thank you!!!!
With love and gratitude,
Violet