Volunteers Help Make Toys For Tots Toy Drive Run Smoothly
December 9, 2019 at 2:52 a.m.
Volunteers Help Make Toys For Tots Toy Drive Run Smoothly
By David [email protected]
“It started off really slow, but now it’s picked up obviously,” local Toys For Tots organizer David Morales said going into the third hour of the four-hour toy drive. “We’ve had several major businesses from across the county that have stepped up and dropped off. We’ve had the Syracuse American Legion, we’ve had Maple Leaf, we’ve had private groups, the fire departments obviously, Zimmer Biomet. We’ve had all different kinds of agencies and families step up and drop off toys. So we are doing really, really good. It’s been tremendous. We have a beautiful day and donations are still trickling through.”
There were plenty of volunteers on hand at the toy drive to help collect the donations. The Grace College baseball team had over two dozen players and coaches on hand, but there were also volunteers from the Warsaw Community High School girls basketball team, the Zimmer Biomet Veterans Group and Morales’ family and friends, along with other private citizens.
The WCHS Women’s Select Choir sang Christmas carols for most of the morning.
Chad Berkeypile, Syracuse American Legion Riders director, said six of the Riders’ 30 members volunteered Saturday. The Riders group is in its first year, having started in January. It held two dinners and a breakfast to raise money for Toys For Tots, and he said they took money donation boxes and cardboard boxes around to collect for Toys For Tots. He estimated they raised about $1,000 for Toys For Tots.
“It’s our way of giving back. We’re a part of the Legion and it’s a way to give back to the Legion and the community,” he said.
One of the Riders’ mottos is “live to ride, ride to give.”
Kameron Koch, a freshman on the Grace baseball team, said there were about 26 to 30 players and coaches volunteering Saturday.
“We’re just out here volunteering and helping the community,” he said. “It’s probably our first time (with Toys For Tots), but not our first time doing things in the community.”
As for the Toys For Tots program, Koch said, “I think it’s honestly a good thing to help others out. Whether it’s a big toy or a small toy, it’s the thought that counts.”
At 9:30 a.m. Saturday, 14 fire departments made their way together to Martin’s to deliver the donations they’ve collected for Toys For Tots, sirens blaring to announce their arrival.
Kosciusko County Fireman’s Association President Kevin McSherry said the fire departments collect all year round. Small departments like his – Burket Fire Department – started collecting for next year after this year’s donations were dropped off.
“So if you want to bring a toy in next week, we’ll take them,” McSherry said.
He said other departments, like Milford, have a basketball fundraiser and they put in a lot of effort to collect for Toys For Tots.
“They set the goal and we try to catch up,” McSherry said.
“We’re very proud of our county association and how well we work together,” he said.
There are almost 400 firefighters in the county. McSherry said you can’t go 20 feet without being close to a firefighter in Kosciusko County. “We’ve got a big spread,” he said.
Karen Bozarth, training manager at Zimmer Biomet, said about a dozen Zimmer Biomet employees, from the Veterans Employee Resource Group, volunteered Saturday morning, with another 20 or so set to help with the toy counting and sorting Saturday afternoon.
“We do that because we want to give back to our community,” Bozarth said.
On the donation turnout Saturday morning, she said, “I think it was absolutely awesome, and I love seeing all the young kids and the parents that are teaching their children giving. And that’s what really pulls on the heartstrings, is teaching other people to give, and being a part of an awesome organization like that.”
She said this was the first year the veterans group volunteered with Toys For Tots and she believed they plan to do it again in 2020.
“I believe so, yes, because we just formed in 2019 at Zimmer Biomet, and the idea is to do a number of different things to help out the community. And this is one of the ways we can volunteer and help out the community,” Bozarth said.
WNDU Channel 16 out of South Bend had a news crew on hand for the first three hours of Saturday’s toy drive, with meteorologist Kimberly Newman and longtime anchor Tricia Sloma going live throughout the morning.
Sloma said she’s been at the news station for 26 years and WNDU has been airing the Toys For Tots drive for 25 of those years.
“You can do the math and know that I’ve been to every one. Now I would say a good 22-23 of those have been in Warsaw. There were a couple of years where they had me in South Bend because of other commitments they had down here in Warsaw, but it’s my favorite time of the year. I can honestly say you see some of the best people, families that come out year in and year out. It’s wonderful,” Sloma said.
She said she’s held babies at past toy drives who grew up and brought their babies to the event.
The one thing that stuck out in Sloma’s mind this year about the toy drive was the groups that came out.
“I’ve got to say I’m really proud of the associations that came out. We all are impressed by the fire association, and that group of 14 different fire departments from the area that come out, but I’m also really proud of the corporations that did their own collections and then they brought it out today. I’m really proud of that. We had small businesses that did that,” Sloma said.
She added that she also was proud of the Warsaw Community High School Women’s Select Choir that sang at the toy drive.
“They have been singing the entire time this year and they have been really entertaining everybody as they have come through,” Sloma said.
Morales said, “Thank you to everyone who has come out on this beautiful day, and thank you for supporting Toys For Tots each and every year.”
If a person couldn’t make a donation Saturday morning, toys will be collected until Dec. 16, with distribution set for Dec. 21, Morales said.
Drop-off locations in Kosciusko County include all Dollar General stores; State Farm offices on Market and North Detroit streets; McAlister’s Deli; Hacienda; Home Helpers; Monteith Tire; Sidehouse Grill; Main Street Bar & Grill in Syracuse; Titus Funeral Home; Maple Leaf Farms; CVS Warsaw; Walgreens Warsaw; Walmart; Meijer; Stock & Field (Big R); Parkview Warsaw; all fire stations; MutualBank in Warsaw; Beacon Credit Union; WRSW radio station; Menard’s; and Martin’s.
In Marshall County, new unwrapped toys can be dropped off at Advance Auto in Bremen and in Plymouth at the North Michigan Street location; and at Advance Services Inc., also on North Michigan Street in Plymouth.
Country and gospel singer Susie McEntire will return in concert at 7 p.m. Saturday at Lakeview Middle School, with doors opening at 6 p.m., to support Toys For Tots. The concert is free, but a donation of a new, unwrapped toy is suggested and will be taken at the doors.
“It started off really slow, but now it’s picked up obviously,” local Toys For Tots organizer David Morales said going into the third hour of the four-hour toy drive. “We’ve had several major businesses from across the county that have stepped up and dropped off. We’ve had the Syracuse American Legion, we’ve had Maple Leaf, we’ve had private groups, the fire departments obviously, Zimmer Biomet. We’ve had all different kinds of agencies and families step up and drop off toys. So we are doing really, really good. It’s been tremendous. We have a beautiful day and donations are still trickling through.”
There were plenty of volunteers on hand at the toy drive to help collect the donations. The Grace College baseball team had over two dozen players and coaches on hand, but there were also volunteers from the Warsaw Community High School girls basketball team, the Zimmer Biomet Veterans Group and Morales’ family and friends, along with other private citizens.
The WCHS Women’s Select Choir sang Christmas carols for most of the morning.
Chad Berkeypile, Syracuse American Legion Riders director, said six of the Riders’ 30 members volunteered Saturday. The Riders group is in its first year, having started in January. It held two dinners and a breakfast to raise money for Toys For Tots, and he said they took money donation boxes and cardboard boxes around to collect for Toys For Tots. He estimated they raised about $1,000 for Toys For Tots.
“It’s our way of giving back. We’re a part of the Legion and it’s a way to give back to the Legion and the community,” he said.
One of the Riders’ mottos is “live to ride, ride to give.”
Kameron Koch, a freshman on the Grace baseball team, said there were about 26 to 30 players and coaches volunteering Saturday.
“We’re just out here volunteering and helping the community,” he said. “It’s probably our first time (with Toys For Tots), but not our first time doing things in the community.”
As for the Toys For Tots program, Koch said, “I think it’s honestly a good thing to help others out. Whether it’s a big toy or a small toy, it’s the thought that counts.”
At 9:30 a.m. Saturday, 14 fire departments made their way together to Martin’s to deliver the donations they’ve collected for Toys For Tots, sirens blaring to announce their arrival.
Kosciusko County Fireman’s Association President Kevin McSherry said the fire departments collect all year round. Small departments like his – Burket Fire Department – started collecting for next year after this year’s donations were dropped off.
“So if you want to bring a toy in next week, we’ll take them,” McSherry said.
He said other departments, like Milford, have a basketball fundraiser and they put in a lot of effort to collect for Toys For Tots.
“They set the goal and we try to catch up,” McSherry said.
“We’re very proud of our county association and how well we work together,” he said.
There are almost 400 firefighters in the county. McSherry said you can’t go 20 feet without being close to a firefighter in Kosciusko County. “We’ve got a big spread,” he said.
Karen Bozarth, training manager at Zimmer Biomet, said about a dozen Zimmer Biomet employees, from the Veterans Employee Resource Group, volunteered Saturday morning, with another 20 or so set to help with the toy counting and sorting Saturday afternoon.
“We do that because we want to give back to our community,” Bozarth said.
On the donation turnout Saturday morning, she said, “I think it was absolutely awesome, and I love seeing all the young kids and the parents that are teaching their children giving. And that’s what really pulls on the heartstrings, is teaching other people to give, and being a part of an awesome organization like that.”
She said this was the first year the veterans group volunteered with Toys For Tots and she believed they plan to do it again in 2020.
“I believe so, yes, because we just formed in 2019 at Zimmer Biomet, and the idea is to do a number of different things to help out the community. And this is one of the ways we can volunteer and help out the community,” Bozarth said.
WNDU Channel 16 out of South Bend had a news crew on hand for the first three hours of Saturday’s toy drive, with meteorologist Kimberly Newman and longtime anchor Tricia Sloma going live throughout the morning.
Sloma said she’s been at the news station for 26 years and WNDU has been airing the Toys For Tots drive for 25 of those years.
“You can do the math and know that I’ve been to every one. Now I would say a good 22-23 of those have been in Warsaw. There were a couple of years where they had me in South Bend because of other commitments they had down here in Warsaw, but it’s my favorite time of the year. I can honestly say you see some of the best people, families that come out year in and year out. It’s wonderful,” Sloma said.
She said she’s held babies at past toy drives who grew up and brought their babies to the event.
The one thing that stuck out in Sloma’s mind this year about the toy drive was the groups that came out.
“I’ve got to say I’m really proud of the associations that came out. We all are impressed by the fire association, and that group of 14 different fire departments from the area that come out, but I’m also really proud of the corporations that did their own collections and then they brought it out today. I’m really proud of that. We had small businesses that did that,” Sloma said.
She added that she also was proud of the Warsaw Community High School Women’s Select Choir that sang at the toy drive.
“They have been singing the entire time this year and they have been really entertaining everybody as they have come through,” Sloma said.
Morales said, “Thank you to everyone who has come out on this beautiful day, and thank you for supporting Toys For Tots each and every year.”
If a person couldn’t make a donation Saturday morning, toys will be collected until Dec. 16, with distribution set for Dec. 21, Morales said.
Drop-off locations in Kosciusko County include all Dollar General stores; State Farm offices on Market and North Detroit streets; McAlister’s Deli; Hacienda; Home Helpers; Monteith Tire; Sidehouse Grill; Main Street Bar & Grill in Syracuse; Titus Funeral Home; Maple Leaf Farms; CVS Warsaw; Walgreens Warsaw; Walmart; Meijer; Stock & Field (Big R); Parkview Warsaw; all fire stations; MutualBank in Warsaw; Beacon Credit Union; WRSW radio station; Menard’s; and Martin’s.
In Marshall County, new unwrapped toys can be dropped off at Advance Auto in Bremen and in Plymouth at the North Michigan Street location; and at Advance Services Inc., also on North Michigan Street in Plymouth.
Country and gospel singer Susie McEntire will return in concert at 7 p.m. Saturday at Lakeview Middle School, with doors opening at 6 p.m., to support Toys For Tots. The concert is free, but a donation of a new, unwrapped toy is suggested and will be taken at the doors.
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