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Our Toy Story

In November of 2003 the California Republican Veterans of America Veterans’ Club in Sacramento, California sought a way to acknowledge the dedication and service of parents serving in uniform. Many of these military personal are sacrificing everything, while being separated from their families during the Holidays. With very little time to prepare, the middle-aged war horses of CRVA launched the first Toys for the Troops’ Kids Toy Drive. The beneficiaries of this first annual Toy Drive were the families at Travis Air Force Base (AFB) and the California National Guard.

The goal was to provide two toys per child of every military parent deployed overseas. The first efforts in 2003 were a booming success. The Toy Drive collections far exceeded the requirements of two toys per child. CRVA was easily able to fulfill all requests from both Travis AFB and the California National Guard.

Based on the overwhelming response and the volume of toys collected in 2003, the leadership of the CRVA Veterans Club formed CRVA Charities, Inc., a non-profit California corporation. CRVA Charities, Inc. obtained a tax-exempt status from the IRS and the Franchise Tax Board so that all future donations, whether monetary or in kind, could be considered tax-exempt for the donor.

Realizing that the citizens in the Greater Sacramento Area had a big heart for the military, CRVA Charities expanded their scope for Christmas 2004 and added the families of Beale AFB to their list of beneficiaries. Again, the Toy Drive far exceeded their expectations for all three military installations.

In 2005, CRVA Charities took another big step and added Lemoore Naval Air Station to the now growing list of beneficiaries receiving toys for the kids of troops serving overseas. For Christmas, 2005, not only did the Toy Drive exceed the expectations as before, but a surplus of toys remains after the Toy Drive. This surplus of toys now rest at one of the military installations, waiting to bring joy to the hearts of children for Christmas 2006.

The 2003 through 2005 toy drives were all made possible by the co-sponsorship of three generous donors. The first donor, Peter P. Bollinger Investment Co., graciously provided the use of their property as the official collection site for the Toy Drive at the Festival Shopping Center on the corner of Sunrise Blvd. and Greenback Lane in Citrus Heights, CA. The second donor Sunrise Market Place has contributed administrative efforts and insurance placement. Finally, the City of Citrus Heights has provided equipment and traffic control for the many contributors who come to support the US Military Troops with gifts of toys.

With the obvious success and enlarging media support of the Toys for the Troops’ Kids Toy Drive, CRVA Charities, Inc. is planning on adding other drop-off locations throughout the Greater Sacramento Area as locations become available.

The historical success of this annual Toy Drive compels the expansion in 2006 to include families at The United States Marine Corps, Camp Pendleton, and associated units, as beneficiaries. CRVA Charities is confident that through the expansion of the toy drop-off sites and donations collected through this web site, they will be able to meet the demands for Christmas 2006. Should the 2006 results warrant further growth, the 2007 Toy Drive and later efforts will likewise expand the list of beneficiary families at US Military bases.

Brave and very special Dads and Moms separated from their spouses and children at Christmas, have promised us that, for so long as they wear the uniform, we will be safe. We of the Toys for the Troops’ Kids think that our efforts are the least that we can do…