Christmas in July at Trenton Rotary Club meeting

By Carrie A. Mizell

Four local volunteers who help bring Christmas to hundreds of Gilchrist County children each year attended the Trenton Rotary Club meeting on Monday to talk about the U.S. Marine Corps’ Toys For Tots.
Pat Arcadi, co-coordinator for Tri-County Toys For Tots, told Rotarians that 2,387 children in Gilchrist, Levy and Dixie counties were given toys for Christmas because of the efforts of Toys For Tots volunteers. Of those children, 497 live in Gilchrist County.
Bill Cummings, a Toys For Tots volunteer and Trenton Rotary Club member, introduced Arcadi and a handful of other local volunteers including Ted and Marjorie Henley, who were unable to attend the meeting, Maxine Cummings, Shirley and Mike Harrell.

Trenton Rotarians welcomed visitors on Monday. From left: Pat Arcadi, Rotary Club
President Lowell Chesborough, Maxine Cummings, Shirley Harrell and Bill Cummings.

While Bill Cummings distributes collection cans and toy boxes in Bell, Ted Henley covers Trenton, and Marjorie Henley and Maxine Cummings, along with Shirley Harrell work as qualifiers. Beginning in October, a group of volunteers puts out 250 to 300 blue collection cans at businesses throughout the tri-county area.
According to Arcadi, the program runs solely off donations and funds raised through benefits like the Toys For Tots Bike Run, or Breakfast with Santa. She explained that between $30,000 and $35,000 is needed each year to provide toys for children in Gilchrist, Levy and Dixie counties.
“The money raised in your county stays in your county,” Arcadi said. “I try to buy toys locally; for example, I go to Dollar General and buy what I can because they support us.”
Hundreds of applications are put out each fall at local libraries, downtown businesses, grocery stores and churches encouraging families in need to apply for the program. Organizers have had problems in the past with people trying to scam Toys For Tots by registering in all three counties, but Arcadi explained that is no longer possible because a computer program Toys For Tots uses alerts organizers if a child’s social security number is used more than once at registration.
“You have to have a heart to do what we do,” Arcadi said.
In December, the volunteers set up distributions in each of the three counties.
In years past, Gilchrist County’s site has been the Trenton United Methodist Church. Aisles are set up and stocked with toys, which are broken down in sections based on whether the child is a boy or girl and what age group they fall into.
“It’s just like a miniature toy store,” Arcadi said. “We welcome anyone who would like to come to just see what’s going on.”