8th annual ‘Cram the Cruiser’ toy drive now accepting donations
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 18, 2024) — The University of Kentucky Police Department’s (UKPD) eighth annual “Cram the Cruiser” toy drive is now accepting donations for patients of UK HealthCare’s Kentucky Children’s Hospital (KCH).
From now until Dec. 13, UKPD will accept new, unwrapped toys for donation. These can be dropped off at UKPD’s headquarters located on campus at the corner of Rose Street and Euclid Avenue.
KCH has published a list of acceptable items by age, including toys and books for children of all ages that can be viewed and purchased directly at this link. Additionally, individuals can view more information and make monetary donations at this link.
“The ‘Cram the Cruiser’ toy drive is an important tradition that gives us the opportunity to give back to the community,” said UK Police Chief Joe Monroe. “Seeing the joy it brings to children and families is a reminder of why we serve. This initiative continues to grow every year, and we invite the UK and Lexington communities to help continue bringing the smiles to the children and their families.”
Each year, Monroe trades in his police uniform for his Santa Claus suit and even wears a full white beard to hand deliver the toys to the kids at KCH. Along with the toy drive, UKPD hopes to bring Christmas cheer all throughout campus by hosting the second annual Christmas parade, the Parade of Toys.
The Parade of Toys will begin 10 a.m. Dec. 13 at UKPD headquarters and will travel through campus to deliver all the collected donations to KCH. UKPD invites campus partners to get involved and parade through campus to deliver toys to KCH. Anyone interested in volunteering can sign up here.
Important community partners in the toy drive include the family of Jonathan Ard and 3M company of Cynthiana, Kentucky. Ard, a former Green Beret in the U.S. Army who served two tours of duty in Iraq before returning to Kentucky to work as an engineer at 3M, died of leukemia in 2016. His family and 3M employees participate in the toy drive in his honor and join UK Police to deliver the items to KCH.
For more information, contact Mandi Banahan at 859-218-2338 or mandi.banahan@uky.edu.
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.