Yuma toy drive honors Baby Lucas, supports Amberly’s Place

Baby Lucas was stillborn after a full placenta rupture on April 7, 2015, and his mother, Cynthia Crabtree, turned that loss into an annual toy drive meant to help other families carry their own burdens. The gathering brought that remembrance into downtown Yuma on Saturday, when people met from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Cafecito, the family-owned coffee shop at 176 S. Main St.

The event mixed grief with a neighborhood celebration. Families found crafts, treats, face painting and a visit from the Easter Bunny, while the toys collected there were set aside for Amberly’s Place. Crabtree has said the drive is held in Lucas’ memory as a way to transform heartbreak into something useful for the community. Those who could not make it downtown were able to give through an Amazon link, extending the reach of the drive beyond one morning at Cafecito.

The donation target matters because Amberly’s Place serves as a Yuma County family advocacy center for people facing child abuse, domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking and elder abuse. The nonprofit says people arrive through referrals from community service providers, the Department of Child Safety, law enforcement or on their own. Located at 1310 S. 3rd Ave. in Yuma, the center also operates the Amberly’s Place Thrift Store at 812 S. Ave. A. and says it has helped thousands of children and families in crisis.

Amberly’s Place was named for Amberly Ann Mendoza, a 9-year-old Yuma girl whose life was cut short in 1996. The center says Amberly’s mother gave permission in 2000 to use her name, tying the organization to a local story of loss and advocacy that still shapes its work today. In that context, the Baby Lucas toy drive did more than collect gifts. It connected one family’s remembrance to an agency that daily supports survivors and children in Yuma County, giving residents a direct way to turn sympathy into immediate help.