Students from both St. Clair and JWP participated in the annual Toys for Tots fundraiser.
Even on one of the coldest mornings in recent winter memory, the combined charitable efforts of nearby communities, and plenty of youthful hands to package presents, the annual Toys for Tots Fundraiser warmed the hearts of many families and children in need during this holiday season.
It can be a stressful few months for struggling families; pocketbooks get tight, prices continue to rise, and many families miss out on some quality holiday cheer. Thankfully, organizations like Toys for Tots grant a brief reprieve in the form of its distribution event, this year held on December 13 at the Mankato Armory. The location has been a headquarters for the Mankato Marine Corps Reserve, who have organized Toys for Tots for 15 years now, though it was discovered the event is being moved to a larger space for next year.
While the Mankato Marines are the main motivators behind this event, they receive a tremendous amount of donations and assistance from local schools, like Janesville and St. Clair. Both schools have been participating in the event for many years with their Student Councils leading the charge for donations and money raised. Though these schools tend to be rivals in just about everything they do, the Toys for Tots Fundraiser allows them to band together for a unified goal–helping families in need.
With that said, each school does approach the project in distinct ways. St. Clair had an absolutely landmark achievement in 2024 with over 1500 received. This year brought a more modest goal of 600 gifts/$600 raised and ran from November 20 through December 12th with a primary goal of acquiring items for older children and teenagers, citing frequent shortages over the years. Collaboration would be a key element of this project as the junior class participated in the distribution event on December 13 while the Student Council worked behind the scenes to raise funds. A grade level competition, offering a breakfast party sponsored by Student Council to the winner, helped incentivize participation. As the deadline approached, it seemed like a down year as approximately 200 toys and $69 dollars were raised; however, a last-ditch miracle by the Student Council secured a staggering 634 gifts and well over 3,000 dollars in monetary donations, totaling $3215.00 to Toys for Tots.
In many ways, Janesville utilizes similar systems and incentives to drive their fundraising efforts. Though the National Honor Society used to organize Toys for Tots, the Bulldog Student Council has taken the reins for the past few years, and they have made a considerable effort toward high participation and donations. A friendly in-school competition pitted elementary grades K, 2, 4, & 6 against Pre-K, 1, 3, 5 with the winning group earning an ice cream party; their high school counterparts engaged in a similar contest with a cookie and hot chocolate party as their just desserts for the highest total of donations. The donation period mirrored St. Clair’s (November 20 to December 12), but JWP’s sole responsibility after counting donations is to deliver them to the Mankato Armory the night before the distribution event. For 2025, JWP gathered 186 toys and received $261 in monetary donations.
The actual distribution event was memorable for many reasons…the bitterly cold Saturday morning being one of them. While the lines extended far past the front door, inside the Armory was just as chaotic as the front of the house operated like a DMV as those receiving the donations had to register online, fill out an order sheet, and then wait for their order number to be called. The front of the house had its fair share of chaos, but it was no way compared to the bedlam in the back room as assorted piles of toys, board games, sports gear, books, stuffed animals, makeup, and so much more were scattered about the warehouse portion of the Armory. There was some organization involved as items were divided into age groups for boys and girls, but every now and then you would see a purple unicorn in the same zone as a Nerf dart gun.
As requests came in, junior Cyclones and even a few Bulldogs put on their best Santa impression and began to fill their sacks. They were instructed by the event’s Coordinator, Pamela, to include “One book, one toy, and one game” with every order to ensure a healthy variety of items for each family. There were looks of joy on many of the volunteers faces…Olivia McGowan brought enthusiasm to one order of stuffed animals for a five-year old girl, Keldee Hansen soon became entranced by an elegant purple unicorn for an 8-year old girl, and though she held it close for as long as she could, she eventually stuffed the magical equestrian into the bag for distribution. The three Bulldogs, Lily, Tiera, and Victoria rummaged through jigsaw puzzles and mystery novels for a curious 10-year old boy, and the three delighted in being able to take part in this charitable endeavor. The distribution went on for several hours, and the first shift of St. Clair juniors would be relieved by another group later in the day.
It was another successful Toys for Tots Drive and it is heartwarming to know both St. Clair and Janesville exceeded their goals and delivered a steady source of Christmas cheer and maybe even a sense of relief for struggling families. The students played a pivotal role in the gathering, sorting, and finally distributing donations to those in need. Of course, a miraculous display of generosity by these local communities is what fuels thoughtful events like Toys for Tots. These two communities may be small, but together, the impact made through this project is unbelievably grand in so many ways.
