One Dollar, One Toy, One Smile!

Christmas of 1986, we didn't have anything. No gifts, no food, but we were happy. My mom had stayed up late worrying over what to lay under the tree for the little ones. I was twelve and understood that Santa would not be visiting us that year except for a few homemade gifts.

Christmas morning we awoke to a knock on the door. We all rushed into the living room and watched as Mom opened the door. Who would be coming to our house so early on Christmas morning? When mom opened the door, she fell to the floor and started crying. God's Angels had delivered us food and gifts for Christmas. The lawn was covered with bags of food, toys and clothes. That day I made a promise. I vowed that, one day, I would pay forward what I had been given.

Life was tough on my single mom with five children to lookout for. She always managed and did her best. Later we became a family of eight when she met and married my step-dad and had another baby. We struggled as a family and bounced back and forth from home into foster homes and then home again but people were always willing to reach out and lift us when things went sour. Every day, I reminded myself of that promise.

As an adult, I tried to follow that promise. At Christmas time, my sister and I adopted families, we helped out in nursing homes and gave to the Salvation Army. I heard about the shoebox programs but nothing seemed to work for me. I worked retail and every day I could see the desperation in the eyes of parents as Christmas came closer. I had recently been promoted to the Store manager position at my Dollar Tree, in Houghton Lake, Michigan. I was now in position where I could make a difference, but what could I do?

One weekend in September 2003, I put out a box by the front door and my staff and I started asking our customers if they would like to purchase a toy and donate it to the local kids. I then called Social Services of Roscommon county. I explained that I had been a foster child and knew what it was like to leave your treasures behind when you were taken from home. I asked if they would like to receive the toys for the foster kids in the county. They said it would be better to help the entire county versus a few children. They referred me to Mel Ward, our local marine core representative who said that he would take the toys and they would be handed out to the local families in the county that needed help with Christmas. By the end of the weekend, I had already sold more than 200 toys. This was going to be big, but I still needed permission from my company.

I called my district manager, Mark Kohout, and he had every store in our district put boxes out for their counties. He called our regional manager, Walter, who had every store in the region do the same. By the time that Christmas came, every store in the company was doing it. Now our company not only has our annual toy drive but they donate millions of dollars to the marine core also to help out with coats, food and bikes. Every toy that is collected at each store, stays right there in that community and is distributed locally.

This is the fourth year that the company is sponsoring the project. Millions of children have received gifts. Everywhere I go, I tell people, it's only one dollar, one teensy-weensy dollar. That's all it costs to change a child's life. I know, because it changed mine.

So the next time you are in Dollar Tree and the cashier asks, "Would you like to purchase a dollar toy for the "Toys for tots" program?" Don't stand there, shaking your head, step right up and say "Yes please, I would!"