Record Breaking Holiday Toy Drive Spreads Joy Across Ohio
For the last several weeks, the dedicated men and women of the Skylight Foundation have come together to make this year’s toy drive the biggest one yet. Partnering with community leaders and organizations across our 4 different offices has led to thousands of donated toys for underprivileged children across the state.
Our Columbus Office teamed up with the Washington Township Fire Department and was able to collect an estimated $3,500 worth of toys that will benefit more than 5,000 families in Central Ohio. Columbus concluded their Toy Drive with their “Touch a Truck” event. Families across the area were invited to a morning of coffee, breakfast, and the chance to get up close and personal with a real firetruck. “We are so grateful to be part of the Dublin community where businesses like Skylight are so caring and willing to help others. We thank all the employees and their families for their generous donations to the toy drive.” Said Alec O’Connell, the Fire Chief of Washington Township.
The Toledo office was able to collect 300 toys for children in need. After hosting a breakfast with the Toledo Police Department, the boys in blue hauled off the donations to their new homes. Some of the toys were donated to less fortunate families, while others will be kept in squad cars for crisis alleviation involving children. Event organizer Mary Gensler stated, “knowing these toys will be going to children facing hardships is truly inspiring.”
In a statement, Officer Bill Cashen of the Toledo Police said “Thank you to all of the Skylight Financial Group members who participated in the toy drive. Due to their generosity, our officers will be able to make Christmas a bit more special to disadvantaged children in Toledo.”
Cincinnati partnered with their local police department and was able to collect 500 toys for the community. Cincinnati’s efforts to spread holiday cheer were multipronged. First, they hosted a breakfast event for local families to come spend quality time with Kris Kringle and donate to a great cause. The Cinci team then hosted their “Adopt a Class” event at Robert Academy. Skylight representatives and Mr. Claus spent a morning with the students of Robert Academy, reading stories and allowing children to pick a gift to bring home. Event Coordinator Trisha Rutherford also stated, “Other members of our team met up with the Cincinnati Police Department to buy groceries for less fortunate children in the area, surprising them with a bag of toys to bring home to their families. We were honored to support our community through this tremendous cause!”
Skylight’s Cleveland office, were our Holiday Toy Drive got its start 4 years ago, has no shortage of passion for this event. The team there went above and beyond to shatter last year’s record of 2,445 toys donated. Alongside the Cleveland Police foundation, the team there collected a whopping 3,500 toys—and the giving didn’t stop there! For the first time in the history of the toy drive the Cleveland team also adopted 7 different families with children facing severe illnesses. You can read all about how Skylight Cleveland gave these the families the Christmas of their dreams by checking out the story here.
All offices included, the Skylight family was able to donate more than 4,500 toys for this incredible cause. Watching members of the community and our different offices come together for this initiative has been truly inspiring. We cannot thank everyone enough for helping us bring holiday cheer to those who need it the most. So—from our family to yours—Happy Holidays!