Our 1st Annual Fort Collins Dolls for Daughters® and Toys for Boys® Toy Shop was held on Saturday, December 3rd , at the Nights of Columbus. The doors opened at 9 am with volunteers ready to serve those in line looking for gifts this holiday season for their children. Our event was able to serve 346 children and 149 families with a total of 2,422 items going out the door!
Serving such a large number of children takes a lot of volunteers, 111 to be exact! We had 32 volunteers from the Fort Collins High School Baseball Team and 79 volunteers from throughout the community including from Kohls and YMSL FortCollins (Young Men and Moms Making a Difference).
One high school volunteer even helped with the difficult task of going over our pre-gift survey with our Spanish speaking families. This young man is currently in Spanish 4 at Fort Collins High School and we think he deserves an A for his help!
Another volunteer, a mom, was thankful for this experience because it allowed her to spend time with her son who also volunteered. Helping others in need together reminded her what’s really important over the holiday season.
The volunteers helped each child in line receive a new toy, stocking, stocking stuffer, and book. In addition, each child received a toothbrush/toothpaste kit courtesy of Delta Dental.
We were also able to provide 100 toys to Crossroads Safehouse in addition to those children served at our toy shop. As our program grows in Fort Collins, we look to partner with other agencies that work with children who would otherwise go without a new toy at Christmas.
We want to extend a huge thank you to all who volunteered their time or donated items/money, and to the sponsors of the event; Bachus and Schanker Cares Foundation, Delta Dental, and Twisted Lens Photo Colorado. Thank you for all your support to make our Toy Shop a success!
It is such an honor to be able to deliver holiday cheer to children who need a little extra love in their lives.
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