TQL Bolsters Toys For Tots Efforts
With Christmas just two days away, three TQL offices teamed up with their local Toys For Tots chapters to ensure kids will have something fun waiting under the tree. All three were part of the TQL Cares for the Holidays effort.
TQL Fort Lauderdale not only collected toys in the office, but also went to the Marine Corps and Navy base in Hialeah Dec. 17 to help sort and distribute goodies from all over South Florida.
“This is the first year Fort Lauderdale worked with Toys For Tots and we plan on going back next year,” said SGL Vanessa L. “I had done this before in Orlando a few years back with one of my previous employers and it was extremely satisfying and fun.
“It was an amazing and rewarding experience and we are really glad we got to help out. The Marines were short-staffed to do the sorting and put orders together. We were able to get between 200 and 300 toys sorted and put together four or five orders of 400 or 500 toys each in three hours.”
Hanging around so many toys may or may not have prompted a desire to play.
“The best toy we saw would probably be these miniature Minions action figures,” Vanessa said. “The most unusual was probably this plastic toy dish rack; it came with little plastic dishes and cups to dry on the rack.
“We really just wanted to help out a good cause and get some toys going to some families and children who wouldn’t have had presents under their tree if not for Toys For Tots."
Team Denver collected almost 50 toys and delivered them Dec. 17 to the CBS television affiliate that served as a collection hub.
“It was a great effort by the entire team,” said STL Elana S. “This is the first time we donated as an office. The toys went to the Boys and Girls Club of Metro Denver.
“We wanted to give back as an office and thought it would be great to give to kids in Denver. Many do not get presents during the holiday season, so that’s why we stepped in.”
TQL Chicago West (aka Westchester) spent its first Christmas season seeking an organization where its donations would do the most good.
“We hadn’t (worked with Toys For Tots) in Chicago,” said BTL John K. “Our recruiter Kelsey did some research and found out 97 percent of proceeds go to the kids. We went with that because it was the highest percentage we could find in the area.”
Let us know your story and how you’re helping your communities this holiday season. Send photos and/or videos of your volunteer work to socialmedia@tql.com. We’ll highlight some of them on the Life At TQL social media channels and here on the blog site.
Because TQL Cares.