Students trade gifts for grub at third annual When B.A.D. Goes Good

There was plenty of giving and grubbing at the third annual When B.A.D. Goes Good: Give & Grub toy drive Tuesday night, where students donated brand new toys to children in need, and in turn, received a warm plate of food to eat.

B.A.D. stands for Beta, Alpha and Delta , which represents the brothers of Sigma Lambda Beta, Alpha Phi Alpha and Delta Epsilon Psi.

"We wanted to do a diverse event that covers all ends of the spectrum," said Phong Le, who came up with the idea for the drive two years ago.

Le, a senior and electro-engineering major at UCF was the president of Sigma Lambda Beta at the time. Given the holiday season, he decided to create an event that would mix the spirit of gift giving for Christmas with eating for Thanksgiving.

The toys are given to Devereux, a nonprofit organization that operates a number of clinical, therapeutic, educational, and employment programs and services to help people in communities across the country, according to its official website. Devereux gives the gifts to children in the Orlando area who may not have had the opportunity to receive them otherwise.

"Each year we've been the biggest donation they've gotten from any organization," said Le, who said they've been able to fill up the entire caravan with toys in the past.

This year seemed no different. Approximately 150 people stood in line starting at 7:50 p.m., waiting for the doors to room 112 in the Health and Public Affairs building to open. Each person was holding bags of shiny toys, including princess wands, toy trucks and board games. The most prevalent each year, however, are the stuffed animals, according to Le.

Before entering the room, each person received a red ticket that they had to present before getting the home-made food that members of the three fraternities made. Once inside, the warm smell of chicken curry and exotic spices permeated the large room.

Monica Waller, a representative from Devereux and a UCF alum, was a speaker at the event. She trains and recruits foster homes bringing in therapeutic children, who have emotional and behavioral problems. She briefly explained what Devereux does, and the importance of helping children in the community during this time.

"Holidays are tough, and we kind of take what we have for granted," Waller said. "But in the end, they're kids, and they get just as excited as everyone else, so we try to bring out the happiness."

For Waller, some of the things she encounters at work remind her why giving to these children is so important.

" A developmentally disabled boy asked if he could have a talking voice for his foster brother, who has autism," Waller said. "It hits home for me because I have an autistic nephew, so I understand."

After Waller spoke, it was time to give out the food. Among the items on the menu were some ethnic foods such as samosas, rice and beans, pork and chicken curry.

Nicole Dickerson, a UCF communications sciences and disorders major, was one of many students enjoying a plate full of food while watching the movie, Friday After Next, on the projection screen and talking with friends. 

"I wanted to give back to the community and support my fellow Greeks," said Dickerson, who is a member of Mu Sigma Upsilon. "I thought it was great to see young people coming together to give back to children in need. I had a great time."