The Patriot Ledger
Posted Nov 26, 2018
WEYMOUTH — Cooper Richards’s life was cut short last year at the age of 3, but his memory will live on this winter as his family comes together once again to collect thousands of toys for children in need.
The family’s organization, the Coop’s Troop Foundation, came out of a group of friends and relatives who rallied in March 2015 to support the Richards family after then-15-month-old Cooper, the youngest of Kelly and Mike Richards’s four children, was diagnosed with GM-1 gangliosidosis, a terminal genetic disorder that progressively destroys nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. The following year, the Richards family decided to pay the generosity forward by launching Coop’s Troops Holiday Toy Drive for children in need.
Cooper died from the disorder in January of 2017 at age 3, but the toy drive continues, marking its third year next month.
The Richards will host the annual toy drive in Cooper’s memory on Saturday, Dec. 8 at their home. Kelly Richards said the family collected more than 2,200 toys last year and hopes to top that number.
“It’s the most beautiful way to keep his memory alive and hold him always,” she said. “It’s amazing to step back and think about the impact for a three year old.”
The family is collecting toys that will be donated to Boston Children’s Hospital, My Brother’s Keeper, and about 100 individual children in need, including some in the care of the state Department of Children and Families and a local rehabilitation center for children with special needs.
“They range from infants to teens,” Richards said.
Richards said Boston Children’s Hospital sets up a shop where parents with children in the hospital can pick out toys. My Brother’s Keeper helps families in need.
The toy drive will run from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 8, at the Richards’ home, 265 Thicket St., Weymouth. The family will serve hot chocolate and Christmas cookies as they collect new, unwrapped gifts for boys and girls, infants to teens.
Those who can’t make the toy drive but want to help can buy a gift online and have it sent to the Richards’ home. Amazon shoppers can also help the organization by signing onto the Amazon Smile program and choosing the Coop’s Troop Foundation at check out.
The Coop’s Troop Foundation is a nonprofit organization that supports the social, economic and medical needs and development of children with life-limiting diseases and special needs.