Helping Children Have their Holiday Dreams Come True

By DALE MADISON

Several years ago while writing for another publication, I saw an opportunity with the holidays rapidly approaching and the economy faltering, that there were probably going to be a lot of kids that wouldn’t have the best of times during that holiday season. I went to my boss and asked about doing a “toy drive” to ensure that those children would have a good holiday. To my surprise he grabbed the idea and over the next six weeks, thanks to the generosity of the members of the old Main Street Gym, we gathered so many bicycles, dolls, games and other toys that we were able to generate enough items that we included three local charities in the distribution of items. Those groups were Broward House, GLCC/Pride Center and Poverello.
A couple of weeks ago when I accepted this position as a Features Editor for The Florida Agenda, I mentioned that a friend of mine had approached me about doing another such toy drive. As bad as the economy was back then, it’s certain- ly no better today. The powers that be at The Florida Agenda, Mark magazine and Jump on Mark’s List jumped at the opportunity to participate in such a toy drive for this year.
Therefore, I am happy to announce the first annual Florida Agenda Toy Drive which this year will benefit four local charities: Broward House, GLCC/Pride Center, Kids in Distress and The Poverello Center. Assisting me will be long time friend and local bartender Jason Balsimico. Together we’ll be contacting local businesses to act as drop-off center for the Drive.
As Jason put it, “the holidays are about kids. To watch their eyes on Christmas morning after Santa has been there is just amazing. To think that there would be any child in Broward County that doesn’t have something to open is heart breaking.”
Donation boxes are now in the process of being wrapped and thanks to the courtesy of CopyThis, posters are being printed to go on the boxes and donations will start soon in various locations throughout the county. A couple of things that we are in need of are: a major staging area to display the toys as they are collected, a storage unit where items can be held until distribution just before Christmas, lots of locations for collection boxes to be placed, and volunteers to help with the distribution. When we put this together four years ago, Poverello, along with other organiza- tions, reached out to their volunteers and we made it a huge success. This year, Jason, Florida Agenda and I hope that the generosity of the community, along with the fact that we are starting so early, will lead to an outpouring of toys and gifts so that’s why we decided to open the opportunities to more individuals. Anyone wishing to volunteer or wanting to help as a collection point can do so by contacting me through my email at dalemadison1@aol.com or on my direct line at (954) 478- 2415.