Written by Leland Acker – More than 200 volunteers will mobilize on December 16th for the Brown County Toys for Kids distribution day at Grand Starz on Belle Plain in Brownwood. The day of toy selection, gift wrapping and Christmas cheer will mark the 20th anniversary of Wanda Martin’s involvement with the program.
“We started in 1997 when we found out the Toys for Kids program would have to stop for health reasons,” she said.
That’s when Wanda’s late husband, Dennis Thacker, agreed to take over the program.
“He grew up on the north side of Brownwood. He understood hard times,” Martin said. “He wanted to provide the kids with toys, not just personal necessities.”
Martin said Dennis was well known as a local singer and was well liked by the community.
“When we started, it was a family event,” she said, noting how the entire family, from siblings to cousins, got involved in the collection and distribution of Christmas toys.
“We had to look for warehouse space,” she said. “We used a Central Freightliner truck.”
The Toys for Kids program paused from 2000 to 2002 as Dennis underwent surgery and treatment for lung cancer.
“When he got better, we started back,” Martin said.
Dennis was able to continue for four more years before passing away in 2006. It was that year that another benevolent entertainer came along to help the Toys for Kids program. Local radio personality Brian Wade approached Martin to pitch his idea for a radio toy drive, then known as “Two-Steppin’ for Toys.”
“It put us on the map,” Martin said. “It gave more people a knowledge of what we do.”
Brian also helped by launching the social media accounts for Toys for Kids, and by stirring up support for the program.
“He literally brought Christmas spirit to town.”
Brian passed away the Saturday after Thanksgiving last year, and the organizers for the Toys for Kids program renamed the annual toy drive, promoted by local radio stations, in his honor, The Brian Wade Toys for Kids drive. The Breeze 96.9 and News/Talk 102.3 KXYL will collect toys and cash donations at the former Bank of America parking lot on Main St. in downtown Brownwood. KOXE/KBWD will hold their toy drive in front of their studio on Carnegie.
The Brian Wade Toys for Kids drive will be from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday. The toys will then be taken to the Toys for Kids warehouse, where parents will be given the opportunity to select toys for their children on December 16th.
What separates the Toys for Kids program from other Christmas toy charities is that the parents get to select the toys their children will receive. Martin said she has always wanted to allow the parents to play a role in providing Christmas toys for their children.
“I always hated not letting them pick the toys,” she said. So, she proposed allowing the children’s parents to select three toys each.
“In the beginning, there were a lot of questions about how it would work,” she said. “It has worked so well, thanks to our 200 volunteers who help the parents shop, who stock the shelves and who gift wrap the toys.”
Martin described the Toys for Kids warehouse, saying it looked like a small commercial store.
Parents who wish to enroll their children in the Toys for Kids program will need to visit Grand Starz between 10 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Tuesday or Wednesday. They will need to bring their photo-ID, and their child’s social security card.
Pictured at top: Audrey Smith and Wanda Martin with Toys for Kids
