Today, the 31-year-old mother of two is doing her best to repay the favors.
âI had to find a way to give back,â she said.
Step 1: Organizing âA Better Tomorrow Todayâ toy drive, which as of Wednesday morning had resulted in more than 200 toys worth $1,240.
Step 2: Growing it to 1,000 toys by the time she and other volunteers hand them out on Saturday at Mount Calvary Missionary Baptist Church in Champaign.
âA lot of people are living check-to-check right now and canât wait until later,â she said, explaining the toy driveâs name. âWe want to put smiles on the faces of the children.â