The Year 2000 Toys for Tots Final Report


This is the fifteenth year that TWA has supported the Toys for Tots program. We can look back with pride on the tens of thousands of toys that we have been able to give to Santa to help needy children have a merrier Christmas.

The person that started this program is our late friend Dan Cameron. He has introduced many of us to the program, giving us an opportunity to feel a sense of giving during the Christmas season. For this we owe Dan our lasting gratitude. Therefore, I think it appropriate that we dedicate the year 2000 program to Dan.

The year 2000 was marked by the production of extremely high quality toys. Those of you who made the December TWA meeting can certainly attest to this.

We had eight club-organized workshops, during which you collectively filled one hundred fourteen slots.

Two workshops were sponsored by Bob Gabor. That team turned out hobby-horses which required forty separate operations to complete. These are truly spectacular toys.

Dave Mackie, hosting the second workshop, chose to make an eighteen-wheeler type truck that will be a delight for all recipients.

Hal Liberty, hosting two workshops, organized his group to make some lifelike bi-winged airplanes. Hal also brought in about fifteen volunteers from Cisco to help fill his huge workshop.

Diane Caudill, hosting two workshops, chose to make a number of items including a bear and small rocking horses which will bring delight to the gentler sex.

Our Home Depot workshop was also very successful. We produced seven hundred eleven toys to delight many. We engaged fifty TWA members in production, and about forty helpers from the general public pitched in to help with the final assembly. It turned out to be a fun day.

Home Depot's store manager, Ned Nice, also deserves special mention. He managed the needed support for the Home Depot day and also had his company donate all the material we could use for our eight workshops.

I would like give special thanks to Pete Hodges, Dave Mackie, and Fred Haskin for all their behind the scenes work done in getting ready for all the workshops that made the program a complete success. Their help was instrumental in having productive and fun workshops.

The club workshops were fundamental to our success, but the cream on top was the hundreds of toys that came in from individual efforts. Numerous members brought in special toys. These special toys really "make" the December meeting. We never know how many toys we will have until December because of the individual contributions. These surprise contributions add a sense of Christmas to the meeting in that we come in to see what Santa has brought to surprise us.

Dick Hall led again in individual contributions with 500 toys. Sixty of the 500 were spectacular individually boxed stuffed bears with their own bed, mattress and blanket. Dick was quick to say he did get a lot of help from friends and family. Thanks, Dick!

Dick Courtney brought in a raft of pickups, racers and cars.

Charles Davis brought in trucks and cars cut from solid cedar. The cedar comes from his family farm, where he harvests forty-foot cedar trees. We have to wonder if the mothers of the children getting these special cedar trucks require that they be parked in with the wool clothing after play.

Charlie Main brought spinning tops that are fun for all ages and teach the theory of centripetal energy to some.

Ron Johnson sent in rocking horses. They were finished well adding a spot of interest. With all the time Ron spends in support of the club with the newsletter and associated items it is hard to see where he found the time!

Charlie Smith had large puppets made from extra material from his son's log cabin home.

George Schichtel had push toys. A real treat for the two year olds.

Alan Leland had bird puppets that I had to keep my eyes on to be sure Irene Joiner did not abscond with one. She was really enjoying playing with them

It was a Merry Christmas with over 2000, 2001 to be exact, toys under the trees. I am sure each of you who participated had an extra warm feeling on Christmas morning knowing that thousands of children over the state were a little happier because of our efforts.


Submitted by Fred Ford