New Albany Student & NAPD Team Up to Collect 700 Kid Gifts

Some people just have a way about them; putting others first and doing good in the world with no reward except that it’s the right thing to do.

Gwen Mouat, a 16-year-old New Albany student, is one of those people. Gwen was born with a condition called propionic acidemia, an inherited disorder that affects the body’s ability to process certain parts of proteins and lipids. She gets her nutrients through a gastrostomy feeding tube. But what most differentiates Gwen from others isn’t her condition, it’s her heart.

In 2021, she created a holiday toy drive as her “wish” through A Special Wish Foundation. The nonprofit organization is dedicated to granting the wishes of children under the age of 21 who have been diagnosed with a life-threatening disorder. Through these efforts, Gwen collected three carloads of toys for children who wouldn’t otherwise have had a present to open during the holidays.

Gwen followed up her 2021 holiday toy drive by asking the New Albany Police Department to be part of her 2022 holiday drive. Thanks to the wonderful generosity of the New Albany community, Gwen and NAPD together collected more than 700 gifts the for 2022 holiday season. Our thanks to Gwen for helping to make this drive so successful…it is one more shining example that Community Connects Us here in New Albany!