“When I was a kid, I didn’t have any toys,” Assistant Resident Director Carlo Zepeda said.

That was his reason for leading last night’s toy drive at Coolidge dormitory, where over 200 children’s faces lit up while receiving their holiday gifts.

Students, Residence Assistants, the University of Massachusetts cheerleading team and the Doo Wop Shop all assisted the children in picking out their toys from large piles. The toys were donated by local businesses and Coolidge residents.

“The athletic department helped us out a lot,” Zepeda said. He said the department donated about 80 or 90 toys to him.

Zepeda also received help from John Santanella of Hasbro, who donated about 200 toys and said he collected about 560 toys for the 400 kids in the Amherst Survival Center, a center in downtown Amherst that helps out needy families. All the toys that weren’t taken last night would be donated to the center, he added.

Five members of The Doo Wop Shop started off the festivities with a round of songs as the children received balloons. Some members of the group helped pass out toys later in the afternoon.

“We always try to sing for the kids,” said Anum Spriggs, a senior who has been with the group since his freshman year. “It’s definitely a good cause,” he said.

Members of the cheerleading team performed cheers as the kids received their toys.

The children chose gifts ranging from Barbies, Hulks, basketballs and board games. Mike, a 10-year-old from Hadley, wanted a Nerf basketball while Zaniya, a three-year-old, preferred a small play set.

“Where’s the arts and crafts?” asked David Allard, a nine-year-old.

The decision wasn’t an easy one for Steven Kacey, 10. “I don’t know what I want,” he said. After numerous options, Kacey chose a Dragonball Z toy.

Alicia Druker, a sophomore RA in Coolidge, walked around the drive snapping pictures of various kids smiling with their new toys.

Some parents received so many toys for their kids that they needed trash bags to carry all everything to their cars.

“It feels good to help out unfortunate kids,” said Beth Porozio, a freshman who has been helping out with the drive for about a month. Porozio said she went door to door around Coolidge and collected money from the residents, then went and bought toys.

“The kids need presents and Christmas,” said Kathryn Dye, a resident of Coolidge. Like Porozio, she went around and collected change and used the money to buy toys.

“The residents were amazing,” Zepeda said about the help he received from within his building.

“It’s beyond a success for me,” Zepeda said at the end of the drive.

Zepeda said he had doubts on how successful the drive would be at first; he initially became discouraged when the drive began as the same time the campus disturbances started.

“I just didn’t give up,” he said.

Next semester Zepeda said he will hold a book drive, and next year he will run another holiday toy drive.

“It’s time for me to give,” he said. “The residence halls have never done anything like this before.”