JACKSON, Wis. — The Hampel family held a toy drive at their home in Jackson on Sunday to honor the memory of their daughter, Jocelyn, who died in January.
"Jocelyn was the sweetest, brightest girl we could ever have known. She lit up with every Christmas light and present. We have a tree dedicated to her. Anyone who knew her was the lucky one," said her mother, Ashley Hampel.
Jocelyn died from complications during a dental procedure in January. She would've turned eight next week.
The birthday toy drive for Jocelyn was much larger than her parents expected.
People donated for a week at several locations around town. Others bought on Amazon and had the gifts shipped right to the Hampel's home. Luke Hampel said he's rented a U-Haul to move all the toys to Children's Hospital tomorrow.
"It's certainly more than I thought we were ever going to get," Hampel said.
At the drive, Jocelyn's uncle Brian Gould said she was "the sweetest, brightest girl we could ever know."
And many in the community knew that, too.
In 2019, Jackson Police officers babysat Jocelyn and her sister, Tennley, while their mother was taken to the hospital with their little brother for a minor medical emergency.
An officer took a photo of the girls smiling at Officer Henning, and it quickly became one of the department's most popular photos on Facebook.
"That personified Jocelyn's personality," said Gould.
The Hampels set out cupcakes and other snacks for anyone who came by to drop off a toy or share a story about Jocelyn. They'll deliver the toys on Monday.
You can find out more about her life and charitable organization at foreversparkling.org.
