NEWARK, DE -- Members of the University of Delaware women’s lacrosse team are organizing a holiday toy drive in conjunction with the Ronald McDonald House in Wilmington.

Delaware head coach Kim Ciarrocca, her coaching staff, and team members will purchase new toys and deliver them to the Ronald McDonald House in mid-December.

Members of the team are also urging University of Delaware athletics staff and student-athletes, UD students, Blue Hen sports fans, and all members of the Newark community to contribute an unwrapped toy for charity.

Toys can be dropped off between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. beginning Wednesday, Dec. 6 until Wednesday, Dec. 13 in Room 101C in the Delaware Field House, located next to the UD Season Ticket Office in the main lobby.

“The Delaware community has been very supportive to our women's lacrosse team,” said Ciarrocca, who will enter her third season at the helm of the Blue Hens this spring. “At this time of year it is extra special to give back and we are very thankful as a team to have great support from our athletic department to allow us to move forward with such a great project. As a lacrosse family here at Delaware, we think it is especially important to help others throughout the year.”

Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) work to better the lives of children and their families around the world. The program, which began in 1974, provides a "home away from home" for families of seriously ill children receiving treatment at nearby hospitals. Since that time, more than 10 million families around the world have benefited from the comfort provided by a Ronald McDonald House.

The Ronald McDonald Family Room program extends the comfort of a Ronald McDonald House to a hospital setting. Typically located just steps from neonatal or pediatric intensive care units, the Family Room provides a place to escape the stress and tension of the hospital.

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