FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
KARL CHEVROLET HUMMER IS 2010 TOYS FOR TOTS CO-SPONSOR
Last Year KARL Coordinated Regional Program that Collected More than 1/4 of the 20,000 Toys Distributed in Lower Fairfield County
NEW CANAAN, CT – (November 18, 2010) –KARL Chevrolet HUMMER and KARL Automotive Service of Greenwich have assumed a leadership role again this year for the largest U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots collection project in lower Fairfield County. Last year the group which KARL and co-sponsor News Talk 1400WSTC/ 1350WNLK coordinated collected more than 5,000 of the 20,000 toys that were given to needy children in the region, according to George Ducanic, regional coordinator of the Toys for Tots program. Volunteers sort the toys and distribute them through shelters, churches and other non-profit social service programs throughout lower Fairfield County.
Donations of new, unwrapped toys for newborns through teens may be dropped off through December 22 at the KARL Chevrolet HUMMER dealership in New Canaan, where they will fill the back of a 2011 Chevy Silverado on KARL’s showroom floor, en route to the arms of delighted children. Toys may also be dropped off at KARL Automotive Service of Greenwich, located at 1330 East Putnam Avenue, just off I-95 exit 5.
This year, toys will also be collected on December 4 during the New Canaan Chamber of Commerce’s Holiday Stroll: in front of the New Canaan Toy Store on Park Street and inside the Photos with Santa Holiday Stroll shop on Elm Street. Toys may be donated during the New Canaan Young Women’s League’s Breakfast with Santa on December 18, as well.
Again this year, KARL has donated the use of a new Chevrolet to collect toys from other participating area drop-off sites in the 8-town region served by the News Talk 1400WSTC/ 1350WNLK stations. KARL employees will also provide toy sorting assistance at the Toys for Tots distribution center, located in donated space at 633 Hope Street in Stamford.
This will be the twenty-ninth year that truckloads of new toys for underprivileged children in area communities will be collected at the New Canaan dealership, one of the region’s oldest sponsors of Toys for Tots. “Year in and year out, KARL has been our largest donor,” said Mr. Ducanic, who is marking his eighteenth year as the regional coordinator of Toys for Tots.
“There are many worthwhile holiday programs that help the underprivileged, but the Toys for Tots program really struck a chord with us. It’s hard to think of a child waking up on Christmas morning with no presents. Even one or two toys can bring such a happy smile,” observed Leo Karl III, President of KARL Chevrolet HUMMER.
“The holidays are a time to show that we care about one another. While the Toys for Tots Program is all about giving toys, I believe the real message to these kids is that there are people out there who care about you. We are so fortunate to be in a community full of very generous individuals, and we are simply here to help facilitate all that goodwill. It is an honor to be involved with such a great cause. It is an honor to be involved with such a great cause, and its great to do our part in Chevrolet’s National campaign entitled ‘Chevy’s Giving More’. In communities all across the country there are local efforts by Chevrolet dealers giving back to their communities. We’re proud to continue such a great annual tradition of giving back here at KARL.” Mr. Karl said.
Noting the growing number of needy children in the region, KARL recruited the area Cox Radio stations several years ago to help increase the volume of area toy collections. Joining KARL and 1400WSTC/ 1350WNLK as participants in this year’s regional Toys for Tots program are: First County Bank, which is collecting toys at its seventeen branches in Fairfield County, Palmer’s Market in Darien, both Walmart locations in Norwalk, Dental Care Kids in Stamford, and Learning Express in Westport and Darien. Additional drop-off sites will be posted at www.wstcwnlk.com. News Talk 1400WSTC/ 1350WNLK will broadcast remotely in front of the Photos with Santa location on Elm Street from noon to 2 p.m. during the Holiday Stroll on December 4, as well as from several other locations participating in the program, and will keep listeners advised about additional area drop-off sites.
“We’re excited to work with KARL Chevrolet HUMMER on theToys for Tots program again this year – every year we’ve been able to meet the need, thanks to KARL’s involvement and generosity. The primary goal of Toys for Tots is to deliver, through a shiny new toy at Christmas, a message of hope to needy youngsters that will motivate them to grow into responsible, productive, patriotic citizens and community leaders. The community really comes together for this project,” said 1400WSTC/ 1350WNLK Promotions Coordinator Dawn Wachner.
“We appreciate WSTC/WNLK’s generosity in helping us raise awareness for Toys for Tots,” remarked Stephen J. Karl, Vice President of the KARL Company. “They keep the program fresh in their listeners’ minds, and the response has been fantastic,” he said.
“George Ducanic and his crew do an incredible job, sorting all the toys for different age categories and then delivering them to meet the requests. We can’t thank him enough. With his help, in many years we’ve been able to extend the deadline – how can we say ‘no’ to a donation when we know it will make one more child happy?” he added.
There is always a long list of toy requests. Toys for Tots volunteers distribute the toys to more than 70 area organizations, starting with the Jackie Robinson Park of Fame Christmas party at the Chester Addison Community Center for 500-600 children and concluding in early January with several Three Kings Day celebrations, including the Latino Foundation’s party for 500 children at the Rogers School. “I anticipate there will be more requests from area agencies than ever this holiday season, but people have always been very generous. The community always comes through with the toys, especially for young children,” Mr. Ducanic observed. “We always need more toys for babies 6 months to a year, and for older children up to age 12,” he noted.
Mr. Ducanic, a United States Navy Korean War veteran, volunteered for Toys for Tots for fifteen years before becoming regional coordinator. He works with a team of about a dozen volunteers from Stamford’s American Legion Post 3 and VFW Post 9716 to ensure that the toys reach the children.
Toys for Tots, which launched its sixty-third annual campaign this month, began in 1947 when Major Bill Hendricks, USMCR and a group of Marine Reservists in Los Angeles collected and distributed 5000 toys to needy children. In the program’s 62 years, more than 419 million toys have been distributed to 195 million children throughout the United States.
For more information, call KARL Chevrolet HUMMER at 966-9508 (toll-free at 1-800-321-KARL or 1-877-8HUMMER), or call KARL Automotive Service of Greenwich at (203) 637-1711. Founded in 1927, the KARL Chevrolet HUMMER Dealership is located at 261 Elm Street in New Canaan, one block west of the Metro North station; KARL Automotive Service of Greenwich is located at 1330 East Putnam Avenue, just off I-95 exit 5. Visit the KARL Dealership on the Internet at www.karldirect.com, or read its blog at www.karldirect.com/blog.