Toys for Tots

Preparing for the Toys for Tots Dance Three years ago my friend Amy and I were looking for a way to bring customers into Behm’s Sawdust City while helping the community. After about a month of throwing ideas around Amy came across an advertisement for Toys for Tots, and we decided that this would be a great way to bring people in and help the community. Little did we know that it would be a huge success! Every year we have had to become more organized. The first time we get together we decide on what band we are going to try and book and where we are going to ask for donations. Next we split up and go to different businesses and individuals that have donated in the past or may want to donate this year. Finally we advertise for the dance and start looking for volunteers to help. Amy and I meet in the beginning of July to start organizing our Toys for Tots Dance. The first time we meet we make a list of bands that we would like to play that night. We do this by sitting down and brainstorming all the bands we have heard or have heard good things about. We then look over our list and pick out our three favorites, and we list them in the order that we will try to contact them. If the first band has prior commitments we still have two more bands to choose from. After that we take last year’s donor list and make sure the business still is in business, and we add any new businesses that may want to donate something. Then in September and October we go to each business or individual on the list and ask if they would like to donate something to either be raffled off or for a new unwrapped toy. Most places that we go donate something that they sell or a service they offer. We then raffle them off either in a silent auction or on the paddle wheel. Every dollar we raise we use to purchase toys. This year Amy and I decided that we would try to receive more donations by mailing out letters to businesses that we have not contacted before and that we do not have