This Montgomery Co. teen’s kidnapping motivated her to start a toy drive

A cadre of police cars pulled up to Montgomery County Circuit Court in Rockville, Maryland, on Thursday afternoon to collect more than $1,100 worth of toys to be distributed to kids in need this Christmas.

Inside those vehicles was a cast of characters, including the Grinch, several elves and Santa himself. But this toy drive was like no other. This one was organized by a 13-year-old girl, herself a victim of challenging circumstances.

Annabelle Lee has been collecting toys for children for seven years. She started soon after she was the victim of what police called a parental kidnapping when she was a child. After that experience, she said she’s motivated to help children who are less fortunate.

“I went through the justice center and I saw that they didn’t have any toys for the holidays or for any time really. And so we started collecting them,” Annabelle said. “Every year, I make someone happy, and I’m giving someone the joy of Christmas each and every year.”

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office gets in on the action, too.

“Many years ago, we partnered with Annabelle, who we encountered unfortunately through a parental kidnapping. We were able to successfully locate her,” Montgomery County Sheriff Maxwell Uy said. “As she grew up, her family offered to partner with us, and we’ve been able to raise so many toys, coats and other items for children who may not receive those in Montgomery County.”

The toys collected this week were delivered to Sheppard Pratt hospital in Gaithersburg. From there, they will be distributed to 20 different organizations that have identified families who need them.