Miscellaneous•
December 6th, 2009•
Yesterday was the big day for our Toys For Tots Toy Drive at Franklin Sussex Automall in New Jersey … and I don’t think it could have gone any better!
We began setting up for this event Friday night – getting the set put together, lights dialed in, lines roped off and the on-site printing computers and printers hooked up. It was a lot of equipment and decorations to carry around – but it was all for a good cause!
As Saturday morning rolled around, the threat of 1-4 inches of snow was in the air. At 11am, when Santa and Mrs. Clause pulled up in their new Dodge Challenger, the snow had just started to fall but the line of children waiting for Santa was long!
By 3pm, as the line full of children began to wind down, we had collected over $1,000 worth of toys and more than $350 in monetary donations for the incredible Toys For Tots organization. We all enjoyed seeing the looks on the children’s faces when they got to meet Santa and the fact that we were able to help out so many others this holiday season who might have otherwise gone without!
We would like to thank everyone who came out to support our event!
In Memory Of Dale Wanamaker 1945-2009
Miscellaneous•
November 25th, 2009•
Toys For Tots was an important charity to my Dad and I feel obligated to carry the torch after his passing this year. So, on December 5th, we’ll be holding a Pictures With Santa Toys For Tots drive at Franklin Sussex Automall from 11AM until 3PM.
All you have to do is bring a new unwrapped toy valued at $10 or more and we’ll take your photo with Santa in our winter wonderland. When you are done, stay and enjoy the games, crafts and food available all day long! Each donation will also provide you with a raffle ticket for a chance to win an iPod and other great prizes!
When you live in Pennsylvania, 9 times out of 10 you will wind up living in some type of Community. While not all communities are the same, some do go above and beyond to bring great events to their residents. Hemlock Farms is one of them. Located just off of Route 84 in Hawley, Hemlock Farms is a well established community with its own post office and fire department. Each year, the fire department goes around to designated houses with Santa and visits with the children. Santa even has a sack full of presents for the kids!
This year, we were invited to attend a holiday party at one of the homes while everyone waited for Santa to arrive. A few of the family’s friends joined in on the fun with their children as well! Santa (like the cable guy) gave everyone a 3-hour window in which he would arrive. To help pass the time, the children had all kinds of games to play and food to eat! During the wait, Loretta and I snapped off some shots of the children as they made Reindeer food, colored holiday books, decorated ornaments and played Pin The Buttons On The Snowman!
Here are a couple of the shots we liked:
After waiting the full three hours, Santa still hadn’t arrived. We later found out that the fire department had a fire call which diverted Santa’s route for a little while!
*Out of respect for the other parents who attended, we decided not to show their children. The children shown are friends of the family who have previously given us permission to do so.
