Loveland toy drive honors Alex Siegel at tree lighting

Loveland residents can donate toys for children at Cincinnati Children's Hospital at the city's Tree Lighting Festival on Dec. 5.

The Loveland Christmas Toy Drive, organized by the Alex Siegel Memorial Foundation, runs from 4 to 8 p.m. during the 6th Annual Christmas Tree Lighting Festival in Historic Downtown Loveland, according to the city's event listing. All donated toys will go to children spending the holidays at the hospital.

The foundation asks donors to follow toy guidelines from Cincinnati Children's Hospital Child Life Department, available via a QR code on the event flyer.

The story behind the foundation

The Alex Siegel Memorial Foundation honors a child who knew Cincinnati Children's firsthand. Alex loved Star Wars, Minecraft, magic tricks and his dog Snacks. He was also a patient.

Alex was born with severe congenital neutropenia, a rare disorder that causes severely low levels of infection-fighting white blood cells called neutrophils. Diagnosed at eight weeks old, he spent years in and out of the hospital, according to the foundation's website. His nine years included daily injections, yearly bone marrow biopsies and frequent hospital stays.

When signs of leukemia emerged at age nine, Alex underwent a bone marrow transplant. Complications from graft-versus-host disease followed, and he passed away on July 25, 2022, weeks before his 10th birthday.

The foundation says it supports children and families and works to advance research on rare diseases and complications following bone marrow transplants.

The festival

The Tree Lighting Festival is hosted by the City of Loveland and the Loveland-Symmes Firefighters Association. The city's Christmas tree, a pine standing more than 60 feet tall along the Little Miami Scenic Trail near West Loveland Avenue, will be decorated with approximately 2,500 lights and 250 ornaments, according to the city.

Portions of West Loveland Avenue and surrounding streets will be closed during the event.