‘Tis the season, but all is not jolly on the toy front this year, and local nonprofits are asking for help to make some holiday magic for children in need.
“I work with lots of nonprofits and everyone is having a bit of a tough year,” said Sgt. Stephen Derrick, coordinator for the Marine Toys For Tots campaign of Tucson and Southern Arizona. “We are down about 20 to 25 percent from the toys we had last year at this time. Normally after Thanksgiving, everyone gets the giving spark, but I think it is a little late this year ... maybe it has something to do with the election or maybe it is just that some years are better than others.”
The Toys For Tots campaign is dedicated to bringing a message of hope to less-fortunate children and assisting them in becoming responsible, productive and patriotic citizens. It has committed to providing toys to 1,000 local families, along with at least 10,000 toys to local nonprofits for distribution before the holidays.
The need for toys is dire for children ages 8 to 14. Suggested gifts include LEGO kits, soccer balls, basketballs and any other items that engage children on an intellectual or physical level. Video games and electronics that require other means to play are discouraged, along with weapons of any kind and plush animals (to avoid bedbugs and lice).
“If you want to spend $50, we suggest you buy a bike instead of a video game,” said Derrick.
Derrick emphasized that Toys For Tots has no ethnic, religious or political restrictions or requirements. “If we can help one family whose kids won’t have a toy to get one, that is all that we want to do,” Derrick said. “We don’t morally or ethically judge anyone. ... In my mind, if a kid needs a toy, a kid needs a toy.”
Help children in foster care
About 2,500 children in Pima County fall into that category.
Aviva Children’s Services is trying to ensure that these children, from newborn through 18, are not forgotten this holiday with its annual holiday toy drive, which runs through Monday, Dec. 12.
“We just want to enable the kids in the care of the Department of Child Safety to have some kind of holiday celebration and give them a sense of normalcy like other children ,” said Aviva’s development and community relations manager, Monica Durand.
Just as with Toys For Tots, the need is greatest for preteens and teenagers. Durand said bath sets and gift cards for $25 or less to stores like Old Navy, Target, Walmart and Hot Topic are particularly helpful for this age group.
Durand credits many local businesses, clubs, organizations and individuals for supporting the cause with everything from toy collections to innovative efforts such as last weekend’s Arizona Wildcat Hockey Teddy Bear Toss and the Tucson High School National Honor Society 12-hour Ultra Run featuring Jerry Schuster, a Tucson High math teacher who has completed numerous ultra runs to benefit local charities.
“I knew I wanted to do a long training run and thought, ‘Why not do it for a charity?’ So I went to the National Honor Society, and the president suggested that I bring attention to Aviva and what they do and how people can help,” said Schuster, who completed 40 miles on the Tucson High track last Saturday. “So all the credit goes to these students who did a super job. All I really did was put one foot in front of the other.”
With year-end focus on Aviva, Durand also wants to encourage Tucsonans to take advantage of the Arizona Foster Care Charitable Tax Credit, which has increased from 2015 and now allows a dollar-for-dollar tax credit of up to $500 for singles and up to $1,000 for married couples filing jointly on 2016 Arizona income taxes.
Last year, Aviva raised $300,000 through tax credits for programs such as the Parent Peer Support Program, Life Books Program and Bags for Kids, which provides duffel bags and suitcases so children don’t have to transport their belongings in trash bags.
Miracle in South Tucson
Making a difference to children has also been paramount to Ramon Gonzales for the past 46 years.
The founder of the Miracle on 31st Street Christmas Party said he has been blessed to be part of the event that has become a holiday tradition in South Tucson.
Last year, more than 10,000 children received free toys at the event, which also offers free food, entertainment and a parade of classic cars featuring Santa. Gonzales is expecting at least 10,000 children and their families at the event at 9 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 18, at Casino Del Sol’s AVA Amphitheater.
To date, only about 100 toys have been donated, but he is hopeful that the community will provide toys for children who he said otherwise may not receive any holiday gifts.
“I figure if I can make it to 46 years then maybe, God willing, I can make it to half a century with the help of the community,” Gonzales said.
