Thursday, November 15, 2012

Toys! Toys! Toys!


You may have heard the news, but the Angel Tree is loaded down with needy Angels this year. We have almost 1000 additional Angels over last year, in need of some holiday cheer.

Lindsay, our Development Director, said when the numbers came in, "We are going to need lots of toys this year! We need toy drives, toy drives, toy drives!"

And as newly crowned Queen of Toy Drives, I'm excited to tell you all that we HAVE several toy drives lined up! From the annual KTUL/BOK toy drive to a first-year drive at the Alliday Craft Show, we are excited to be working towards making Christmas fun for all of our Angels.


The most unique toy drive in Tulsa is Social Media Tulsa's annual #Tweet4Toys event. You may remember the event from last year from our Random Act of Kindness post, and this year they are back, for their 3rd annual toy drive event!

Social Media Tulsa is a unique group of technology minded folks (of which I am a proud member) who use social media tools, like Twitter, Facebook and Google+, to facilitate communication, business and community. They have meetups throughout the year and host a conference in March; you can join their Meetup group or follow along on Twitter by using the hashtag #smtulsa.


This year, the toy drive event is a holiday party, at the glamorous and oh-so-seasonal Mayo Hotel; the event is open to the public,and promises to be a fun time!
Check it out!

Friday, Nov. 30th
6pm to 9pm

What we appreciate so much about this group, is not only are they using social media to spread the word about the toy drive and Salvation Army Tulsa, but they also come to volunteer in the Joy Center a few weeks later, for toy packing and distribution. This group knows how to have fun while giving back!

As you can see, there are many ways to do a toy drive: it can be a traditional toy 'drop-off', like with the KTUL/BOK toy drive (all BOK locations have a toy drop box) or an event oriented toy drive, like #Tweet4Toys, or any other mode that you can think of!

If you would like more information on hosting a toy drive, please contact me, Vicki Thorne, via email! Great or small, every toy drive and every toy collected is a great benefit to the families served by the Angel Tree project.

Last but not least, don't forget that if you can't host a toy drive, definitely check out a toy drive at one of the following local businesses:

Bank of Oklahoma (all Tulsa area locations)
Miss Jacksons (Utica Square)
Incredible Pizza (get a $5 game card!! one per family)
Alliday Craft Show (Dec. 15th at the Expo Square)
Merritt's Bakery (all locations)


You can also contribute to Christmas cheer by using your smart phone to text "JOY TOY" to 85944 to make a one-time $10 donation!

Bring on the toys!

~Vicki



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