City rivals to team up for toy drive at football game

photo by: Journal-World file photos

The Lawrence High and Free State football teams take the fields before games early in the 2016 season.

Free State High School and Lawrence High School students will put aside their rivalry to join forces on a toy drive at Friday’s football game between the two schools.

Student teams from FSHS and LHS will be collecting new and unopened toys at the game, which starts at 7 p.m. Friday at the Free State High School stadium, said Marci Leuschen, FSHS teacher. The toys will be donated to the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn., and Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Mo. FSHS teachers Laura and Nolan Henderson proposed the toy drive as a way to give back after the community supported their 1-year-old son, Grit, who recently returned home after cancer treatments at St. Jude.

Those who would like to donate toys but are unable to attend the football game can email Leuschen at mleuschen@usd497.org to make arrangements to have the toys picked up.

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