Entrepreneur Ebony Austin And Grammy-Award Winning Artist Offset Host Fifth Annual Christmas Toy Drive

On December 16th, 2024, Nouveau Bar & Grill owner #EbonyAustin (@ebonyakira) and Grammy-winning hip-hop artist #Offset (@offsetyrn) hosted their fifth annual Christmas Toy Drive and Christmas Experience. Other prominent guests at the event included City of College Park #CouncilwomanJamelleMcKenzie (@jamellemckenzie4collegepark), reality star #YandySmith (@yandysmith), TV/Radio Personality #FlyGuyDC (@iamflyguydc), and many more. The event was hosted at the Gateway Center Arena in College Park, GA. 

When you first walked into the event, you were greeted by the Jonesboro High School band, as well as the North Clayton High School band. There were huge snowflake and polar bear designs in the front entrance as you walked in, as well as a big stage that included giant nutcrackers and a Black Santa. Guests could also go to different activities including cocoa stations, gingerbread house building, and various food stations. 

Many guests came from all over #Atlanta, including the Southside of Atlanta, the Gwinnett County Area, the Westside of Atlanta, etc. Once the Christmas toy drive began, families began to line up and pick up one toy per child. PS5s, Nintendo Switches, Bicycles, TVs, Nike Shoes, and many more were handed out to the families. 

I talked to Councilwoman Mckenzie about the toy drive and why it was important to her, especially as a former educator. She said, “ Just to see a smile on a child’s face and also a parent's face, and it makes it easier to show up in school in January because everyone is talking about what they go for Christmas…But not only do we want them to have a gift, we want them to have the experience of saying I was at the Gateway Arena in College Park and my city did something to make sure I had a toy on Christmas”.