Clinical social worker behind Manatee County toy drive helping make Christmas brighter for foster youth

Toy drive for foster kids

A St. Petersburg licensed clinical social worker is trying to make Christmas better for more than just her patients. FOX 13's Danielle Zulkosky reports. 

MANATEE COUNTY, Fla - A St. Petersburg licensed clinical social worker is trying to make Christmas better for more than just her patients.

What we know:

Dominique Mickler helps kids each day through play therapy. In her time off, her work with toys does not stop. She is hosting the fifth annual Hearts and Play Toy Drive this year.

"I'm just walking in my purpose, honestly," Mickler said. "I feel the reason I was placed on this earth was to impact as many people as possible."

What they're saying:

She is hosting it with her friends and business partners.

"I think Christmas is important for everybody, just because it's such a joyous time and everyone deserves to feel joy," Mickler said.

The toys benefit foster children in Manatee County, because that's her home county.

"They don't have their biological parents, and how difficult this time is for them," Mickler said. "And something in me just stirred up, and I wanted to try to be a light for those kids in this really tough time."

Mickler said play therapy is a practice that focuses on using toys, games and activities to help children open up.

"We could do it through skits, we could do it through making songs, we can do it through, you know," Mickler said. "Using puppets or books or whatever the case may be, so teaching them the concepts that they need to understand through play."

What's next:

Some of Mickler's own patients have stepped up to bring in toys for others, despite facing their own difficulties. Jamyn Wert is a 9-year-old patient of Mickler's who brought in a lot of toys he picked out with his family.

"You want other people to be happy. Not just yourself," Wert said. "My parents told me to not always think about yourself, to think about others too."

"I think that is so incredible of him, first of all, to be able to do things like that at such a young age and to be to view things like this at such a young age, and be able to put his things to the side and help other people," Mickler said.

Wert said he picked toys for kids across the board, not just people with the same interests as him.

"I picked out toys that I thought like little kids would like and like big kids would like and girls would like," Wert said.

Last year, the toy drive brought in around 300 gifts. This year they expect to donate even more thanks to a large donation from the Boys and Girls Club.