AIR SANTA

Santa arrived early this Christmas and not in his conventional sleigh with his team of eight flying reindeer!  Instead, he chose to make a grand entrance in a helicopter this afternoon at Kuni Collision Center in Beaverton, Oregon. Why you might ask?  Christmas isn’t even for another couple weeks!

Santa, in partnership with the Portland Metro Toy Drive, Konect Aviation, Kuni Automotive and Starbucks Coffee, will be landing to accept toy and book donations to support two local toy drive charities - Toys For Tots and Toy N Joy Makers.

Toys for Tots is a program run by the United States Marine Corps Reserve that collects new, unwrapped toys during October, November and December each year and donates the toys as Christmas gifts to needy children in the community in which the campaign is conducted. Learn more here.

Portland Fire & Rescue’s (PF&R) Toy N Joy Makers was founded in 1914 and also collects new, unwrapped toys in order to help less-fortunate families and children in the Portland area during the holiday season. In 2009, Toy N Joy Makers gave a total of 67,856 toys to families, assisting close to 19,000 children. Learn more about Toy N Joy Makers by visiting http://www.toynjoymakers.org/.

The event was sponsored and organized by the Portland Metro Toy Drive. Starbucks provided refreshments throughout the event and Marine Corps vehicles and PF&R Fire Engine 13 were on site for the celebration and festivities.

Do You Want To Help?

• Donate Toys: When you are out shopping, pick out one extra present to leave with the Toy N Joy Makers, or check the family toy box for gently-used, toys that are in "like-new" condition. Please drop the toys off at any of the 30 PF&R fire stations located in Portland, Oregon. Click here for fire station locations.
• Donate Money: Cash donations are vital to the program as proceeds are used to purchase toys and books at a wholesale level.  Toy N Joy Makers is a charitable (501(c)(3)) organization (Federal Tax I.D. 93-6096777), so donations are tax deductible. Fully 98% of donations go directly into providing toys for children; less than two percent goes to overhead. Donations can be made any time during the year online at http://www.toynjoymakers.org/ or send your donation by mail to Toy N Joy Makers at 5916 NE Going Street, Portland, Oregon 97218.
• Volunteer During the Winter Season: In the last two months of 2009, 18 average volunteers assisted each day taking toy request phone calls from parents, inputting requests into the computer, restocking shelves, and putting orders together for pick up. These volunteers gave an estimated 4,250 total hours of their time along with 950 hours provided by PF&R fire station crews. If you are interested in volunteering, contact Toy N Joy Makers at info@toynjoymakers.org or at (503) 823-0922 during normal business hours.

   Portland Fire & Rescue 

   We Respond: Always Ready, Always There

   December 9, 2010

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