Media Release

Mangaluru, Jan 27: Over 30 resident kids of St Angela’s Convent, Bejai, Mangaluru were delighted with toys and playthings presented to them by Johnlyn Toy Exchange on January 25, 2020. They were escorted by Sr Letitia D’Silva, warden of the orphanage, to a brief presentation function where the children also rendered some melodic and soul-stirring songs. Sr Letitia welcomed the Johnlyn Toys team headed by John Monteiro, veteran journalist and writer, who launched Johnlyn Toys two years ago in memory of his then departed wife, Lynette Monteiro.

John Monteiro’s son Mohan, an avid supporter of the Johnlyn Toys initiative along with John’s daughter, Primrose, have been collecting toys provided by donors in Mumbai, including a recent large consignment which city-based Logistics transported to Mangaluru, gratis in a humanitarian gesture. However, transporting consignments of toys between cities is not an easy task, and the team is exploring ways of collecting more used and presentable toys from Mangaluru itself.

At the event at St Angela’s home, Sr Letitia and John’s grandchild Maya presented the toy hampers to the angelic children who were also treated to refreshments. Speaking on the occasion, John Monteiro said that orphanages and similar institutions in Mangaluru and its suburbs shelter over 2,200 underprivileged children, of which Johnlyn Toys has been able to reach only about 400 so far. He appealed to generous and caring people of the city and district to donate their mothballed toys to Johnlyn Toys, to help ensure that every one of the remaining children can be given a toy hamper to play with and cherish.

For more information about Johnlyn Toy Exchange, please call 9886276608 or send an email to monteirojohn@hotmail.com