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Highlands Today

Toy Drives Head Into Final Stretch

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By JIM KONKOLY

Highlands Today

Published: December 13, 2008

SEBRING - Hundreds of children in Highlands County will be opening gifts for Christmas thanks to the generosity of people contributing to toy drives.
Highlands County employees were among the groups that helped out the fourth annual Rudolph Round-Up. Run by the Heartland for Children social service agency, this drive will provide gifts to 1,000 children placed in foster or group homes due to abuse or neglect in Highlands, Hardee and Polk counties.

Gloria Rybinski, public information officer, said every department under the county commission, as well as employees in the property appraiser's and clerk of court's offices, contributed to fill the three-item wish lists of 30 children.

"It's very rewarding," Rybinski said. "We know that this is the only way that many of these children are going to get Christmas gifts this year."

Christmas drives also are still under way by the Salvation Army and the Florida Sportsmen's Association.

Robert Saffold, secretary of the sportsmen's group, said contributions are down at this time compared to past years.

But, he said, he's hopeful that donations of cash and toys will allow the group to take more than 80 children on a $60 shopping spree for essentials on Dec. 23, and provide toys for other children at the Dec. 24 Meet Santa Claus event on Lemon Avenue in the Washington Heights neighborhood.

For the 27th straight year, Saffold said, this drive is serving underprivileged children from throughout Highlands County, some being raised by grandparents, and many whose parents are struggling to get by while unemployed or under-employed.

"When we go shopping, it's about the necessities, rather than toys, and on the 24th we give out toys to other children," he said.

Contributions, with checks made out to Florida Sportsmen's Association Inc., can be mailed to Saffold at 608 Bowman Ave., Sebring 33870. For more information, call 381-5166.

"Usually at this time of year we have enough to take care of most of the kids that we have, but the economy has changed and people are watching their pennies and I can understand that," Saffold said. "But we should be able to still support the children."

Over the years, he said, "the citizens of Highlands County have done a tremendous job helping us with this project."

At the Salvation Army, Major Mary Holmes said Angel Cards are still available at local stores and offices to meet the Christmas wish lists of 700 children.

Contributions are down slightly from past years, she said, but people are still responding. "When we talk to people at the Angel trees, we see people very excited to do this," she said. "And its fun to see because a lot of times the parents will let their children pick out the Angel Card."

Donations to the Salvation Army's traditional Red Kettles will be used to supplement the toy drive if the Angel program falls short, so that all 700 children will have presents, Holmes said.

In addition to sponsoring a child in the Angel card program, or donating cash or toys, Holmes said, people can also help by volunteering as Red Kettle bell ringers.

"We still have several days and locations that we don't have people manning a kettle, so people can call our office if they want to do that," she said.

Donations of toys and cash for the Christmas drive are accepted at the Salvation Army, 3135 Kenilworth Blvd., Sebring, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30-4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The Brad Doty Memorial Foundation is another annual drive that will provide toys to about 60 children plus pre-cooked Christmas meals for their families. About $8,000 was raised for the drive at the recent Christmas Children's Golf Classic fund-raising tournament, said Kip Doty.

Doty said his family established the foundation 17 years ago following the death of his cousin, Brad Doty, in a car accident.

"He had a very soft spot in his heart for children, and our family thought it was a great way to remember him, and I think it's something he would be very proud of," Doty said.

Doty said his extended family is hoping to raise funds to help children with special needs throughout the year, and not just at Christmas.

"The importance now of taking care of the children gets greater and greater every year," he added. "We know its something he would be very proud of and it's something that we believe will glorify God."

Florida Hospital Heartland Division is one of the collection points for the Rudolph Round-Up, and Christine Douglass, clinical coordinator for the pediatrics department, said toy donations have been coming in from staff, volunteers and people from the community.

More than 250 toys have been collected so far, with donations accepted in a large box in the front lobby through this weekend, she said.

"We love our pediatric patients here and we take care of many of the kids who are the recipients of these toys," Douglass said. "Especially in hard times, it's important to help."

Douglass said she was surprised at how many toys have been coming in during these tough economic times.

"It just goes to show," she said, "how much people love kids."

Highlands Today reporter Jim Konkoly can be reached at 863-386-5855 or e-mail jkonkoly@highlandstoday.com

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