10th Annual Car Run Brings Toys To St. Mary's Hospital

(L. to r.): Freddie Jost, Grand Knight, Council No. 569, with son Christopher, Paul Vallone, member of the Knights of Columbus Flushing Council and candidate for the 19th District City Council seat, St. Mary's Director of Corporate Relations and Special Projects Angela Sculti, St. Mary's Director of Inpatient Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Activity Colleen Martin and Adrian Joyce, Past Grand Knight, Council No. 569 and Faithful Navigator of the 4th Degree. On Sunday, November 16 the 10th annual Toys-4-Tots Car Run brought a plenitude of toys to St. Mary's Hospital for Children in Bayside. Sponsored and founded by the East Coast Car Association, every year, classic and custom car and motorcycle enthusiasts join a police escorted car parade led by a fire truck playing Christmas carols provided by the Metropolitan Fire Association of Staten Island to deliver new toys to the hospital. Since 1999 the Toys-4-Tots Car Run has raised more than $34,000 and donated countless toys to St. Mary's Hospital.

Paul Vallone, a member of the Knights of Columbus Flushing Council and candidate for the 19th District City Council seat, was on hand to support the event. The Knights of Columbus are among the many clubs and volunteer organizations that sponsor the Toys-4-Tots event. Visit www.Toys4Tots.8k.com or call the office of Paul Vallone, 718-274-0909, to volunteer or for more information.

St. Mary's Healthcare System for Children is the largest provider of medical care for children with serious or life-threatening conditions in New York state. With individualized treatment plans for each child and award-winning programs and services, St. Mary's focus is on positive emotional, cognitive, environmental, and social outcomes that emphasize individual abilities and enhance potential for growth and healing. For more information, visit www.StMarysKids.org

In addition to the Knights of Columbus Flushing Council, Paul Vallone is a member of the New York City Board of Corrections, which regulates the Department of Corrections, the Department of Health and the world's largest population of detainees and inmates, St. John's Preparatory School, the Variety Boys and Girls Clubs of Queens, the Malba Civic Association, the Astoria Civic Association, the United Community Civic Association, the Taminent Regular Democratic Club, the Lt. Joseph Petrosian Lodge of the Order of the Sons of Italy, the Broadway/Flushing Homeowner's Association, the Catholic Lawyers Guild and the New York State Trial Lawyers Guild, a previous member of Community Board 1 and president of the Astoria/LIC Kiwanis Organization.