Last year's 2007 Toy Drive was a great success! Our event collected over 1300 donations that were shared between the A.I. duPont Hospital for Children, and Children's Choice Foster Care Agency. Our donation to the Children's Hospital last year was the largest donation from a single source they've ever received! We were once again honored to be able to help all of these children and their families have a happier Holiday Season.
In addition, this year we spent a portion of our donated funds on selected gifts for the children at Children’s Choice based on their wish lists, and two of our organizers were invited to a dinner with Children's Choice where they distributed the donations to the foster children and their families. Seeing first-hand the difference we make with these children was a great experience.
Last year, we had our 2nd 'Jeeps for Joy' Benefit Trail Ride for our off-road enthusiast friends! On October 13th, 2007 Rausch Creek (www.rauschcreekoffroadpark.org) hosted a benefit ride for us, which raised over $1400 towards our event, as well as 140 toy donations. Groups spent the day on trails rating from stock to competition level, and everyone came back to the staging area for our raffle in the afternoon. Unfortunately, due to the closing of another off-road park in the area, Rausch Creek has become the only place available to host an event like this, and they had several other groups in the park that day. Although the two benefit trail rides we had were successful, due to the decrease in attendance last year, the increase of other groups in the park, and the anticipated decrease in attendance again this year with gas prices, we have decided to forego the benefit ride for 2008.
A brief history of our event
The event started in 2001 as "The Matthew Allen Memorial Toy Run" among members of the Delaware Jeep Association (DeJA), before our club was even incorporated. DeJA member Steve Dey has a good friend, Bob Allen, whose son Matthew had passed away from Leukemia in March of that year. After some discussion, we decided to see if we could get area Jeep dealers to help us collect donations for the A.I. duPont Hospital for Children, where Matthew had received treatment. Our goal was to help these children, and their families, to have the happiest Holiday Season they could, during this emotionally and financially stressful time. That first year, we had only 15 Jeeps in attendance, and just over 100 donations. Bob Allen didn't even have a Jeep yet. Matthew had been a Jeep enthusiast, and Bob's other son Brandon owned a Jeep at this point. Soon after however, Bob bought a Jeep and joined our club. He is still very active in the planning of this event, and with his foundation for Matt at www.matthewallen.org.
For the next six years, up through last year’s 2007 Toy Drive, we have donated close to 6,000 toys and items to both the Nemours/ A.I. DuPont Hospital for Children and Children’s Choice Foster Care, whom we added as a beneficiary in 2002.
What we do…
For the past seven years, we've met in the parking lot of the Pike Creek Shopping Center, and make ourselves available there for the public to drop donations off to our members on the 2nd Saturday in December. Our club members gather at 8am to set up our canopy, and we are available to receive donations from the public from 9am to 2pm. Everyone is invited and encouraged to help out, you do not need to own a Jeep. However, Jeep owners are invited to further participate by joining our club members in a caravan from the shopping center to the Children's Hospital to drop off the donations in afternoon. There's nothing like the feeling you get watching cart after cart of donations going through the doors to the hospital.
It's a great way to start off your own Holiday Season. We hope you consider joining us to help make the Holidays brighter for these children!
How can you help?
Helping children have a happier Holiday is very easy. Simply mark your calendar for the dates of the Toy Drive, and make some time to come and visit us. There is a Kmart right in the shopping center, so just stop in there, buy your donation spending as much or as little as you like, and drive across the lot to donate. There are gift suggestions on this site to help with ideas, as well as directions to find us if you are unfamiliar with the area.
More importantly, the biggest help we could receive is spreading the word about this event. So PLEASE, tell your family, your friends, your co-workers, everyone to join you when you drop off your donations. Make it a day of shopping on Saturday, with lunch or dinner at Ruby Tuesday's in Pike Creek Shopping Center. Get a group from work or your church to get together and donate. Bring the people in any social clubs, your bridge friends, your poker buddies, anyone and everyone are welcome, and more importantly needed, at our event.
We invite everyone to help with our Toy Drive, but remember, if you own a Jeep vehicle, and make a donation, you can buy raffle tickets to win Jeep-related door prizes, and also participate in our caravan to the hospital Saturday afternoon to help us deliver the donations to the duPont Hospital for Children.
Additionally, in the past we have had several businesses and daycare centers as drop off locations for donations that we will pick up before the event. Please check back as the event grows closer to see the list of any Donation Drop Off Locations if you can't make it out to our event.
Sponsorship
Jeeps for Joy, inc was incorporated as a non-profit in September 2005. We received our tax-exempt status determination letter from the IRS in January of 2006, so all donations to us are tax-deductible. We are now classified as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization.
Jeeps for Joy, inc was incorporated solely for the purpose of organizing and running this charity event for the Delaware Jeep Association. Our Board of Directors are also members of the Jeep club. We incorporated this non-profit so that donations to this event, could be tax-deductible for those that donate. This charity event is funded completely by donations from our sponsors.
To that end, we are continually looking for corporate sponsorship for this event. It is not a large budget event so far, and we stretch every dollar to its limit. Corporate sponsorship would allow us to greatly expand our advertising. Getting the word out about this event is our biggest obstacle. If you think your corporation would be interested in sponsoring this event, please contact Paul McCullough at 302-292-0304, or by email at jeepsforjoy@gmail.com
THANK YOU FOR VISITING OUR SITE!
We hope you'll consider joining us in December to help us help Children in Delaware have a great Holiday this year.
Best Wishes for a Wonderful 2008 to you and your family.
The Delaware Jeep Association
and Jeeps for Joy, inc.