Toy Drive under way
Do you remember the joy you would have when waking up on Christmas morning, dashing your way to the tree and marveling at the sight that filled your heart with magic?
Some children do not get to experience that joy, and the American Military Veterans Foundation is doing its best to provide that to youths in Southwest Florida.
The second annual Tots & Tails Christmas Toy Drive is under way, as donations for kids and pets alike will be collected and distributed to children and animals in need.
“The spirit of AMMILVETS and our members is about supporting and giving. It’s in their hearts and minds every day,” said Keith Campbell, National Board Director of AMMILVETS in a statement. “Through the support and donations from everyone in the Southwest Florida area we hope to make this drive even more successful than last year.”
More than 700 gifts were distributed last year, and the AMMILVETS have already committed to bring that joy to 500 children this year.
The Harlem Heights Foundation and The Pine Manor United Way House will be visited by AMMILVETS members on Dec. 22, as will Clewiston Animal Control, Glades County Animal Control and the Gulf Coast Humane Society.
The group is playing its part in giving back for the holidays, something that is very important to them.
“We want every child and every animal to experience the joy of the holidays. We are all public servants and our mission in life is to help our neighbors in need,” said Megan Contreras, Tots & Tails Toy Drive organizer. “We recognize there are people/animals in our community less fortunate, which is why we feel so passionate about making sure we do our part to help the best way we can. We want to put smiles on children’s faces and after last year’s success (over 400 kids/three animal shelters), we knew we had to host another toy drive. We hope that we can lead by example and be the change the world needs to see. To us, Christmas is about giving, not receiving.”
More than 30 businesses will act as collection points for the program, the deadline being Dec. 14 to drop off any donations.
In Cape Coral, drop off collection points include: 7-Eleven – 345 Cape Coral Pkwy; Achieva Credit Union – 2127 Del Prado Blvd; Barnes Family Chiropractic – 4302 Del Prado Blvd; Brightway, The Seuffert Agency- 900 SW Pine Island Rd. #103; Diamond Daves Creative Jewelry- 1227 Cape Coral Pkwy; Esterra Spa & Salon- 5971 Silver King Blvd.; Gulf coast family fitness center- 814 Pine Island Rd. SW #102-104; Mike Greenwell’s Bat-A-Ball & Family Fun Park- 35 NE Pine Island Rd.; Remax – 2326 Del Prado Blvd or 814 SW Pine Island Rd. #207; Shingitai Jujitsu – 1423 SE 10th St.; The Cole Team- 1337 Cape Coral Pkwy; and Trebing Tile & Carpet – 4537 Del Prado Blvd.
“The toy drive is part of a program called ‘Vets in Action.’ The veterans with the organization like to give back to the community as often as they can. It’s a way for them to say ‘thank you’ to the community for the support they receive all year long. They also know the importance of helping children who are less fortunate,” said Campbell.
What makes this toy drive unique, is the fact that the group is also donating to pet shelters across the region-as sometimes our four-legged friends get forgotten.
“We are huge animal lovers,” said Contreras. “My husband (another organizer of the toy drive) and I have two rescues that are our world – Tala and Abigail. Our pups are therapy dogs doing therapy work here locally. Tala and Abigail inspired the ‘tails’ portion of the toy drive. Abigail was once a shelter animal and she relied on whatever donations came into her shelter for her basic needs. Every year, there are millions of dogs and cats that enter animal shelters across the country at no fault of their own. Most shelters rely on donations to care for their animals, so our goal is to make sure the animals in our local shelters don’t go without. We have a ton of compassion for our furry friends and we can’t forget they have needs as well.”
The most rewarding experience for volunteers involved is distribution day, where they get to see the faces of children exuberate what most of us remember as kids-pure elation.
“Toy distribution day is magical. It is such an emotional day. There is nothing more rewarding than seeing the faces of children light up with pure joy & happiness when they are handed their bag of toys,” said Contreras. “We see tears streaming down the faces of their parents, we hear laughter from the children, but mostly importantly the day is full of love. Most of these children would likely not have Christmas if it wasn’t for the help of kind-hearted and generous people who donate to our toy drive. This is one, if not, the most rewarding thing we take part in all year.”
These reactions and life-changing moments could not be possible without the support of the community, as the number of donations account for the number of memories for youth.
“Honestly, the success of the toy drive greatly depends on the generosity and willingness of the community to donate,” Contreras said.
The event stemmed from a stuffed animal drive the AMMILVETS put on for families in Immokalee last year after severe flooding.
They collected just under 2,000 stuffed animals, and a pastor in Immokalee was so thrilled, he asked if they could do something for the children for Christmas.
The AMMILVETS couldn’t say no.
Countless volunteers make distribution day possible, as the group goes the extra mile to put a smile on faces.
“We have volunteers that include members of the community, businesses, first responders, veterans, children, family and friends,” Contreras said. “We have a motorcycle escort, we use one of the local law enforcement armored vehicle as our Santa’s sleigh, we have a Santa and Mrs. Claus, the Grinch, and our pups, Tala and Abigail. We hand out toys, spend time with the kids, do pictures with Santa, etc. Last year, we had over 50 volunteers.”
Mike Greenwell’s Bat-A-Ball & Family Fun Park will host a special wristband day in conjunction with the Tots & Tails Toy Drive on Saturday, Dec. 8, from 10 a.m.-10 p.m., where there will be unlimited go-carts, batting cages, midway rides and mini golf for $20 per person.
Each toy, pet supply or canned food item brought will get you money off of each wristband.
If you are not able to hand-deliver a donation to a drop off site, you may mail or have something delivered to Abigail & Tala, Attn: Tots & Tails Christmas Toy Drive, 1350 Monroe Street #2953. Fort Myers, Fl 33902.
There is also a Go Fund Me page set up, where 100 percent of cash donations will be used to purchase toys and/or animal supplies.
www.gofundme.com/tots-amp-tails-christmas-toy-drive.
If you’re struggling to come up with any ideas, the AMMILVETS has a wish list on Amazon you can find here: http://a.co/71sSyno.
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