Ashley Harrington donates hundreds of Beanie Babies to Gilroy
Fire Department
Gilroy – Like many teenagers, Ashley Harrington, 15, had outgrown her childhood toys, the plush, pint-sized Beanie Babies she eagerly collected as a kid. Enshrined in plastic cases, they’d sat idle, boxed in the garage since her 11th birthday.
But there aren’t many teenagers who’d forgo thousands of dollars, as Harrington did when she donated 295 of the toys to the Gilroy Fire Department.
“It’s quite a gift,” said chief Dale Foster. The stuffed animals could have netted as much as $7,000 on the auction Web site eBay, he added.
Harrington’s mother, Wendy, estimated the toys’ value somewhat lower, at $3,000. They were originally purchased for $6 each, at the height of the Beanie Baby craze.
Whether $7,000 or $3,000, Ashley Harrington shrugs off the cash.
“I knew it’d be helping kids out,” said Harrington, a sophomore at Gilroy High School. “I’d rather do that, than get the money.”
Eighty of her toys have been donated to Toys for Tots. Firefighters will give the remaining toys to children affected by fires, car accidents, medical emergencies, “all kinds of things where people are under stress or suffering anxiety or a sense of loss,” said Foster. “It’s something to hang on to, and to comfort them.”
