Midlands Mother honors her late son with a toy drive for the Holidays

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO): Cynthia Byrd has made her list and checked it twice, making sure all the toys are up to her standards.

“We’ve got bicycles, we have basketballs, soccer balls, footballs, scooters, doll babies, board games, blocks, teddy bears,” Byrd said.

ABC Columbia and the Salvation Army partner up to try to ensure every child has a Merry Christmas through the Angel Tree, but not every Angel gets adopted by a family. So, the Salvation Army steps up to give a little something to every child.

“Last year when I volunteered at the Salvation Army they actually ran out of toys. And I promised them that I would hold a toy drive,” Byrd said.

That’s when Santa’s sleigh rolled in– on a truck bed, a trailer, and five vehicles filled to the top with toys. Byrd and her team at the Lexington Medical Center held a toy drive in honor of her late son who died in a car accident in 2007. Now, 11 years later, Cynthia is doing exactly what her son, Brandon, would have wanted her to do.

“I know that this is going to make a difference. There are going to be children that are going to smile, and when they smile I’m going to smile. And I know that Brandon is going to be happy,” Byrd said.

She’s absolutely giddy about donating more than double the amount of toys she promised. Cynthia laughed saying she’s not at a loss for words very often, but seeing just how many toys were donated to keep her sons legacy alive, helped her find the words he would’ve been saying.  

“Do the right thing. He’ll tell you that, do the right thing and what’s up? I miss him…” Byrd said. 

For Byrd, it doesn’t take the pain of losing a child away but giving the gift of Christmas magic to another family keeps her going.

“Bigger better next year? Yes! Yes, Bigger better next year. there’s always room for more,” Byrd said.

If you’d like to donate toys to the Salvation Army, you can drop them off at the Cattle Arena on the State Fairgrounds until the end of the week.