It may only be October, but Paul Cooper and Mike Kimble have already made their Christmas plans.
Ten years ago, Cooper and Kimble, City of Toledo employees, began to collect toys for Lucas County foster children. People got word of what they were doing, and the donations began to increase; the ‘Joy of Toys Toy Drive’ project was born.
They go the extra mile to ensure every single Lucas County foster child knows they are special on Christmas morning. For Kimble, the project feels personal.
“When I was growing up there was a bunch of us, and I knew (what) it felt like to grow up and have Christmas come by and have no toys. And it was devastating. I couldn’t help it. My parents were on assisted living on welfare,” Kimble said. “And I just swore to myself that if I could help it no child would go without. And it’s been something that’s been on my heart since I was a child.”
Last year, their donations totaled almost $4,000 that they spent buying toys at the Ollie’s Bargain Outlet on Louis Ave. Kimble said shopping for the toys felt like “Christmas” for them.
In total, with all the gifts bought at Ollie’s and all the other donations, there were about 1,500 toys for Lucas County foster children. The truckload of toys was donated to the WTOL 11 Gift of Joy downtown gift drop, to be donated to Lucas County foster children.
This year, they have started extra early to prepare for their biggest donation yet, to celebrate 10 years of giving.
“We started a little early this year,” Kimble said. “Because a lot of people think, ‘It’s not even Thanksgiving yet, why would I think about Christmas?’ Say, it is not thinking about Christmas. It’s thinking about children.”
To make this year their largest donation to the toy drop, the Joy of Toys Toy Drive has partnered with several local businesses for some gift-giving incentives.
On Saturday, Nov. 18, Leroy and Margarets are hosting a benefit concert at 6 pm to fundraise for the toy drive. Several bands will be playing for no charge; however, they ask that concert attendees bring a toy or donate to the cause.
Bubba’s 33 is giving away one large free pizza to anyone who brings in a gift to their location.
Raffle tickets are also sold to raise money for the cause. The top prizes include a 7-day stay in a condo anywhere in the continental United States, a Cuisinart 28” rectangular griddle, a $400 booze bucket and an Android watch. Additional prizes consist of gift cards for local establishments.
You can find toy donation boxes in various local businesses. If your business is interested in placing one in your store, contact Cooper or Kimble directly.
If you are interested in purchasing raffle tickets or donating to The Joy of Toys Toy Drive, please call or text Mike Kimble at 419-705-5888, Paul Cooper at 419-467-2827, or Cindy Kay Bachar at 419-230-4791.
