Brown County Toys for Kids program has kicked off with fundraising events underway and donations being sought. Nearly 1600 children were served last year and numbers are expected to be even greater this year according to program director Wanda Martin.
Toys for Kids offers families assistance giving kids, who would not otherwise get any toys, a little brighter Christmas. Families who provide Christmas to their children with gifts of necessities such as clothing and shoes often rely on this program for extra gifts such as toys.
Registration for this year’s program will be held Mondays and Tuesdays in November from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. at Grand Starz, located at 2323 Belle Plain in Brownwood. Families needing assistance should bring their child’s social security cards along with the parent’s photo identification.
Registration sign up times will continue through December on Mondays & Tuesdays 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. and on Wednesdays, Thursdays, & Fridays 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. The deadline to register for assistance from the Toys for Kids program is December 12, 2014. Distribution of toys will be on Saturday, December 20, 2014.Martin stated that many fundraisers begin during the holidays and that donations begin to trickle in mostly in December.
The Grand Starz Hall will host non-smoking Bingo sessions at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday nights at the Grand Starz hall, raising funds for the program. The public is invited to attend and play for just $6.
Local radio stations KOXE 101.3 and Wendlee Broadcasting (KQBZ The Breeze 96.9 & Newstalk 102.3) will host toy drives on December 17th. These annual drives are collected at the KOXE radio station on Carnegie and at the Bank of America parking lot along Main Street.
When the program first started, she stated that the volunteers did shopping as donations came in, sometimes even as they were giving gifts out on distribution day, just before Christmas. Donations are currently being accepted in the form of toys, bicycles, and a variety of stocking stuffers, along with monetary donations at 2323 Grand Starz. Donations may also be mailed to P.O. Box 912, Brownwood, Texas 76804.
The hardest group to fill requests for, according to Martin, is the pre-teen kids. Martin stated that there is such a variety of interests in the 10-12 year-old age group due to different levels of maturity. Many of the boys in this age group love remote control cars, which are always in short supply for the program.
When asked for a wish list of donations to the program, those organizing the program stated that the biggest need is volunteers, those that will show up when scheduled. Other sought after gift items for the wish list would include the following:
RC Cars Ninja Turtles
Monster High Dolls and accessories Frozen (the movie) toys
Dora the Explorer Skylander toys
VTech Go Go Barbie accessories
Baby walkers Barbie cars
Sometimes parents will ask for special requests, such as last year’s 3-wheel bicycles, which the program was able to secure through generous donors. “We try to accommodate as much as we can,” said Martin. “Bike requests – we can never get enough.”
She stated that there are so many children asking for bicycles for Christmas that the program’s organizers have developed a drawing to determine who will receive those donated each year. At registration, when a parent asks for a bicycle, the child’s name gets entered into the drawing, said Martin.
Martin stated that teens are also welcomed in the program. Gifts such as flat irons, video games and other more age appropriate items are in great need for these recipients.
The number of gifts given to each child is determined by the annual donations received, said Martin. Last year, 1594 children were registered in the program, receiving three toys each and stocking stuffers.
Donations may be dropped off at 2323 Grand Starz. Monetary donations may also be mailed to P.O. Box 912, Brownwood, Texas 76804. For questions, to volunteer or for more information about the program, call Toys for Kids at 325-646-6822.
