Ham radio delivers the toys

With time still to spare and with the help of key "relay" service by local radio amateurs the ARRL holiday toy drive has collected truckloads of toys - 1650 and counting.

The drive, which is folding into the United Way's White Doves Holiday Project aims to brighten the holidays for children displaced or left homeless by the hurricanes that ravaged Florida earlier this year.

"The toy drive has snowballed and taken on a life of its own," says ARRL Media and Public Relations Manager Allen Pitts, W1AGP, who spearheaded the ham radio effort. "Hundreds of groups, clubs and individuals have responded with such energy and cheer that it’s already a great holiday
season. People just kept going past Thanksgiving and provided more help for the kids than initially imagined for such a simple enterprise." Pitts says the effort generated a lot of goodwill for the Amateur Radio community as well.

Boxes full of toys from radio amateurs nationwide have been pouring in to the United Way of Martin County office in Stuart, Florida. As of November 23, more than 190 clubs, groups and individuals had contributed either toys or checks. Cash donations total nearly $5000, and even more toys and
contributions continue arriving daily.

Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) and Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) members have helped transport toys from the United Way office to a storage area at the Martin County Fairgrounds. There,
volunteers will sort the toys for distribution to needy families on December 20 and 21.

"We continue to be overwhelmed by the generosity of the ham radio operators," said Carol Hodnett, director of the United Way Volunteer and Community Resource Center, which coordinates the White Doves Holiday Project. "We cannot thank ARRL and its members enough for choosing to
support White Doves and the children it serves."

Bill and Nancy Deacon, KD4HST and KD4HSS, are not only ham radio operators but longtime White Doves Holiday Project volunteers and, this year, hurricane victims as well. The Deacons will help to sort toys and assist families on distribution days. Bill Deacon also will hand out turkeys and
hams (the White Doves Project also has collected some 20,000 pounds of food). The Deacons' house was flooded during the storms, and they have been living in a FEMA-provided mobile home while repairs are made.

Source: ARRL Letter - courtesy of The American Radio Relay League

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