3 BRONX WEEKLY December 15, 2019 www.BXTimes.com
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BY KYLE VUILLE
Following a 20-year tradition,
Lynne Corry and her
army of ‘elves’ are upping
the ante this holiday season
by handling and distributing
toys to over 1,600 kids in
NYC.
However, as impressive as
today’s effort is the holiday
grand toy donation and drive
was born from one remarkable
woman’s holiday season
dispair.
Over two decades ago,
fi rst-time mother, Lynne
Corry, sat inside the Samaritan
Daytop drug treatment
facility while her newborn
son was miles away from her
in a hospital.
The scene was bleak and
Corry looked around the
room at the other women in
facing similar situations.
“I remember sitting there,
thinking ‘how can I make
this place and these people
more cheery right now?’”
said Corry.
That’s when the idea of delivering
toys to the children
and families facing the same
trials and tribulations as her
and other mothers at Samaritan
Daytop came to be.
Corry’s background in
sales kicked in and she instantly
got on the phone to
fi nd toy donors.
That holiday season was
the start of a new sobering
lifestyle for Corry when she
vowed to create a better life
for herself and her son, Tyler.
Since that year, Corry has
worked with countless individuals
and organizations to
make the holidays special for
those caught in the spiral of
drug use like she once was,
those many years ago.
Corry found herself extremely
lucky to have the
opportunity to raise her son
and stay drug-free for over 20
years now.
Corry said she lives a
mostly normal life now in
a two-family house in the
Bronx near the park that she
slept homeless nights in as
young drug addict.
She joked, “I used to sleep
in the park, now I work for
the Parks Department.”
Corry’s son is now in college
and still very much a
part of the toy drive as he
was when he was the inspiration
behind his mother’s
recovery.
Tyler is now 22 and attends
Mercy College and
studies exercise science and
works as an assistant for a
physical therapist.
Tyler said his fi rst memory
of being a part of the
toy drive was as a middle
schooler and being just as
excited about collecting
the gifts as those receiving
them.
Through the years, Tyler’s
friends have joined in
the holiday giving and he
found a new appreciation
for the cause.
“Around senior year of
high school, I realized it
was really making an impact,”
Tyler said. “My old
lacrosse team does it every
year now, it’s not just
me and my friends, it has
spread so much.”
The holiday drive has
proved to be more than a
family affair and those at
Samaritan Daytop have
been touched by Corry’s
and Tyler’s actions as well.
Harry Scott, assistant
vice president of residential
treatment at Samaritan
Daytop said he’s known
Corry for four years now.
“Lynne came in the program
many years ago and
has continued to return every
year,” Scott said. “She
comes with her son and his
friends and bestows greetings,
hope and gifts for the
women and children here.”
Scott emphasized how
much Corry appreciates
the efforts of these women
and how hard it is for these
women to get through the
holidays, let alone move on
with their lives.
“What really makes it
powerful is to have these
women with infants in
their laps and they see
this woman who sat in the
very same seat, but there
she stands with her son all
grown up,” Scott said. “It
really brings a message of
hope and provides an example
of what they can
achieve.”
Corry said this wouldn’t
be possible without her
sponsors and contributors.
Major contributors
throughout the years have
been Cardinal Spellman
High School, Five J’s Automotive,
Cummins and Owens
Bros. Tree Service.
“All those folks have
roots in the Bronx,” Corry
said. “It’s all Bronx love.”
To make donations,
Corry has a registry with
Target that can be found by
searching Lynne’s Holiday
Toy Drive.
“We’re really bringing it
this year, and we’re bringing
it with joy,” Corry said.
Holiday toy drive
queen, overcame
demons to help
others
Left to Right: Tyler Smyth, Lynne Corry, Joe Corry stand behind a table of gifts to be donated for the holidays. Lynne Corry was once a
client at Samaritan Daytime Village, a drug treatment facility, when her son, Tyler, was just an infant. Since her recovery, 21 years ago,
Lynne and Tyler return every holiday season to Samaritan Daytime with gifts for mothers currently in the program. Kyle Vuille/Schneps
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