Christmas Event: SUCCESS!!

Our Toys for Troops Christmas event was a huge success, once again. I don't have a lot of time to tell every story, but I'll try to whip out some highlights.

Here's a report on one of the local news channels if you want more.

Our mailing list was larger than ever, as we received 60 new names & addresses the day before the event. We aimed high, and were short 16 boxes.

I found homes for all of those boxes in 24 hours. Everyone gets a box.

As always, someone stepped up at the post office, and pressed $50 in my hand. I imagine someone getting up, trodding off for some stamps, and handing $50 to a stranger with a bunch of Military Flat-Rate boxes, with no questions asked. I shake my head. It has happened every time I've taken these boxes to the post office.

I am always amazed at the number of donations we get in, with so little work from my end. I make no phone calls, knock on no doors. I write up an e-newsletter, and send flyers to about 100 local businesses, asking them merely to tape the flyer to their countertops. I depend on volunteers to help spread the word, print my flyer, and post it in their own offices, churches, and schools.

Spread it they did. We had tons of gift donations, over 60 volunteers at the event itself, and we received almost $2000 in cash donations. $1100 was presented to us by the Urbana VFW. Our shipping costs were covered, and we had enough left over to do a rush shopping jobs to help fill out 20 more boxes after the event.

How many times can I say: I can not thank you enough.

Here's a gallery of some photos from the day.