CRESTVIEW — Many underserved kids will have something under their Christmas trees tomorrow thanks to a Bob Sikes Elementary School fifth-grader's efforts.
Justice Livingston, who publishes a newsletter in the Garden City Brownstone Manor development, encouraged her neighbors to donate toys for the Crestview Police Department's Cops for Kids program. It is the second year the 10-year-old has collected toy donations.
Thursday afternoon, Justice and her grandparents, Pat and Howard Mosely, brought the toys to Crestview City Hall. There, Mayor David Cadle, City Clerk Betsy Roy and community policing officer Wanda Hulion received them.
"We're so proud of … Justice," Cadle said. "The police department is proud of (her), too, for helping with their effort to give toys to children who need them this Christmas."
The toys Justice collected joined a whole office full of other donations and benefited more than 40 families, Hulion said. Many donations came from donor bins in area businesses. Employees of the Baker Dollar General filled the bin in their store twice, she said.
Pat Mosely said she and her husband encourage Justice to be community oriented.
"I'm glad to do it because it helps other kids," Justice said.
That kind of attitude inspires adults, city officials said.
"It makes you feel good when kids care about other kids," Hulion said.
Contact News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes at 850-682-6524 or brianh@crestviewbulletin.com. Follow him on Twitter @cnbBrian.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Bob Sikes student's effort augments Cops for Kids toy drive