Nine years ago, Carol and Ron Clevenger of Perdido Key began a Toys for Tots tradition that has since snowballed into an event that collects thousands of toys.
Ron is a Marine & Carol a retired educator. During Ron’s time in service from 1959-1965, Ron would work on broken toys & help deliver them to children. And Carol, a retired educator, has always worked with children of all ages & knows specifically at Christmas there are families who need extra help in providing gifts for children.
In 2015 the pair partnered with Colbalt Restaurant to host their very first Toys for Tots event and toy drive. Ron’s birthday is in December and to celebrate, they asked friends to bring a new toy for children to donate to Toys for Tots in lieu of gifts.
“In 2015 We collected around 60 toys with a small group of friends attending. Then in 2019 two other Marines & their wives joined and the event just continued to grow,” said Carol and Ron. “Over the last nine years we’ve grown in our number of friends attending so our toy count has improved significantly. We average around 115 community members in attendance now. For 2024 our numbers were 1884 toys, 250 books and 65 bikes.”
The basic mission of the Marine Toys for Tots Program since 1991 is to collect new unwrapped toys and distribute those toys to economically disadvantaged children at Christmas. The primary goal is, through the gift of a new toy, help bring the joy of Christmas and send a message of hope to those children.
“We believe just about everyone wants to help disadvantaged children and sometimes they don’t know how. Our event provides that opportunity,” said Carol and Ron. “We couldn’t do this without our community of friends. We sincerely appreciate the generosity, love & hope our community gives participating in our event each year.”
Leading up to the event different businesses in the Perdido Key area collect toys for the party including Bodyworks of Perdido Key and Mind, Body and Soul Medical. Bodyworks of Perdido Key maximized their toy collection efforts by giving one lucky winner who donated a toy at their location a spa package valued at $240. At Bodyworks alone 134 toys were donated this year, the most they have ever had.
“Traditions like these are what make Perdido Key such a special community to be a part of,” Bodyworks of Perdido Key shared on their Facebook page. “In just a few weeks our toy donation box is overflowing with toys.”
Mind, Body and Soul Medical have a “Tox for Toys” prior to the event and donate collected toys along with a percentage of the proceeds from the evening.
Ron and Carol Clevenger and Ray Moody pose with Bodyworks of Perdido Key Business Owner, Cindy RodriguezOnce the collection period is over, several friends of the Clevenger’s and community members donate their time to help transport toys and set up for the party.
“We couldn’t be more proud of our Perdido Key community for what they do for children,” said Carol and Ron. “It’s because of them so many children will wake up Christmas morning with a big smile on there face & joy in their hearts! Thank you to all our friends for supporting & providing for children each year.”
