By Jim Beers, Contributing Writer
CHESTER –The 2021 Randolph County Marine Corps League’s Toys for Tots Program has been deemed a huge success as 258 families with 630 kids were served with Christmas gifts this year.
These are six of the key coordinators for the Randolph County Toys for Tots 2021 Campaign. (Left to right): Lee and Farida Hollaway, Assistant Coordinators for Chester; john and Norma Preston, Assistant Coordinators for Red Bud; and Brent Piel, Commandant of the Randolph County Marine Corps League and Pam Piel, Coordinator for the Randolph County Toys for Tots Campaign. Jim Beers Photo
The Randolph County cities of Sparta, Chester, Steeleville, Red Bud, Prairie du Rocher and Evansville were served by the program which has been in existence for decades.
According to Brent Piel of Red Bud, Commandant of the Randolph County Marine Corp League, each city in the county has its’ own Assistant Coordinator who organizes the program within his or her city.
Each year, people who are interested in being the recipient of the Toys for Tots Christmas gifts must apply to be accepted into the program. Those who are accepted can submit a wish list which volunteers attempt to fil as close as possible.
Volunteers at the 2021 Randolph County Marine Corps League Toys for Tots Campaign fill the wish lists for numerous Randolph County children Saturday morning December 11. In all, there were 630 children from 258 families that received gifts from the efforts. Jim Beers Photo
Pamela Piel, of Red Bud is the Coordinator of the Randolph County Toys for Tots Program. She is the wife of Brent Piel.
Pamela said, “Each recipient selected for the annual program receives a wide selection of gifts including a ‘big toy’ gift with a value of at least $30-$35. We also like the kids to receive educational items like books, etc. The Marine Corp Foundation also provides supplemental gifts, and donors from each community give gifts to add to the supply of available gifts.”
The Toys for Tots project “comes to a head” on a weekend approximately two weeks prior to Christmas. The entire plan takes an entire weekend to complete. For example, this year, city coordinators gathered all of the gifts collected throughout the year and brought them to the American Legion in Chester. All day Friday volunteers unloaded all of the hundreds of gifts and organized them on tables throughout the Legion Hall.
Approximately 35 volunteers worked throughout the day nine students from St, Mary’s Catholic School in Chester, Legion members and Legion Auxiliary members, local Marines and Marine Veterans, community members and others.
Once gifts were unloaded they were sorted according to the age groups of both boys and girls. “Big Toy” items were placed in one area, supplemental items in another, books and educational supplies were in still another area and “stocking Stuffer” items were in another area. All were sorted by age group of male and female items.
Nine St. Mary’s Junior High students volunteered to unload and sort hundreds of Christmas gifts at the 2021 Randolph County Toys for Tots Campaign. With the students is Pam Fogerson, Teacher at St. Mary’s School. Jim Beers Photo
On Saturday, another group of volunteers gathered at the American Legion in Chester to fill the Santa wish lists of the recipients. Each volunteer received a data sheet or wish list of the recipients, along with a huge black heavy duty garbage bag. Their task was to walk the isles of all of the gifts and fill the wish list as much as possible.
Once completed, the filled bags were placed in a pile according to the Randolph County city that was being served at the time. In all, there were six different piles which were picked up and delivered to the distribution locations selected for each city. This process took the biggest part of a second day of work by the volunteers.
The American Legion in Chester was the pickup point for the Chester gift recipients. Volunteers manned the distribution of gift bags to Chester recipients while Red Bud, Steeleville, Prairie du Rocher, Evansville, and Sparta had their own distribution locations. It was the responsibility of each recipient’s families to pick their own respective gift bags.
John Preston and his wife Norma, Assistant Coordinators for Red Bud said, “We do not wrap the gifts. They are put in the bags unwrapped. Parents can then wrap the items the way in which they want their children to get them from Santa Claus. That adds a personal touch for the parents to get them involved in the process and give them a sense of owning the project.”
Lee and Farida Hollaway of Chester stand in front of a huge pile of bags filled with Christmas gifts from the 2021 Marine Corps Toys for Tots campaign. Those gifts are earmarked for numerous children in Chester. Lee is the Assistant Coordinator of the annual project for the City of Chester. Farida is Lee’s key assistant and works side-by-side with him throughout the year in helping to coordinate Chester’s efforts. Jim Beers Photo
Chester’s Marine Corps Coordinator is Lee Hollaway. He and his wife, Farida, spend a lot of time each year involved with the Toys for Tots project.
Lee Hollaway said, “We start planning and collecting for next years’ Toys for Tots project immediately after we get this year’s project finished. It is a year-round effort that is a continuous process.”
Farida Hollaway said, “Most of the city coordinators store donations in their basements throughout the year as they come in. People are always offering to help collect items and they have to be stored somewhere. Last night Lee spent a lot of time in our basement constantly blowing up basketballs and kick balls which we brought here today to add to the gift piles.”
Assistant Coordinator from Red Bud, John Preston said, “This year we have planned for 322 gifts for boys and 314 gifts for girls. This is all possible by numerous donation efforts throughout the year. We have collections at business throughout the county. We also have an annual raffle that raises money to purchase more gifts. Individuals also donate gifts and money and we had a wine bingo project this year. The Marine Corps Foundation is a huge donor of supplemental gifts for the kids too!”
The 2021 Toys for Tots project has been deemed a huge success. The many volunteers who assisted with this year’s project noted that they thoroughly enjoy helping with the effort and that they intend to continue volunteering with the 2022 effort.