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thedrifter
12-22-08, 06:36 AM
Disney World joins Marines in Toys for Tots
Linda Florea | Sentinel Staff Writer
December 22, 2008

Walt Disney World employees helped Santa by collecting new toys for the U.S. Marine Corps' Toys for Tots campaign. A convoy of Marine vehicles arrived at the Disney resort recently to pick up approximately 20,000 toys.

In addition to donating toys, hundreds of VoluntEARS gave 2,000 hours helping to register thousands of local families, translating the Toys for Tots registration forms into Spanish and Haitian-Creole, sorting and stocking shelves with collected toys and assisting with the distribution of toys to families.

This year, Central Florida Toys for Tots expects to assist thousands of families from Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties in celebrating the holiday season with gifts for their children.


Briefly . . .



Clothing distributor Jerry Leigh recently donated 5,000 pairs of pajamas to Orlando Fashion Square for support of its Operation PJ Pileup collection effort. Orlando Fashion Square and other shopping centers across the country have set a goal to collect and distribute 25,000 new pajamas and 2,500 new books. The items will benefit the nonprofit Pajama Program. . . .

Home builder Taylor Morrison recently gathered surplus items in its offices and donated everything from clothing to calculators to A Gift For Teaching in Orlando and Calvary South Denver, a church in Littleton, Colo., where the company has a home-building division. Donations totaled approximately $54,000, and items included clothing apparel, umbrellas, blankets, portfolios, calculators, crayons, coolers, cookie jars, mouse pads, stress relievers, pens, tote bags and floor mats. . . .

Pro-Tech Air Conditioning & Heating has donated $10,000 to the Rotary Club of Seminole County South as signature sponsor of the club's Rising Achiever Program. The program annually rewards two graduates from each Seminole County high school who have overcome great adversity. . . .

The lawyers and staff of the Orlando-based law firm Dean Mead donated $2,250 and more than 200 pounds of food to Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida. The firm donated an additional $2,300 and 250 pounds of goods to food banks in Brevard and St. Lucie counties, where it also has offices. . . .

Roy's Restaurant, 7760 W. Sand Lake Road, Orlando, donated meals Thanksgiving Day to nonprofits to feed a total of 160 people. Pathways Drop In Center, which serves the mentally ill, received 100 meals, Harbor House was given 35 meals, and an Orlando women's rehabilitation center received 25. . . .

Area hotels recently donated 1,000 linens to the Start Out Fresh Today mission, for use by Covenant House Florida. Local hotels that participated in the project include Holiday Inn at High Tech Avenue, Comfort Suites on Challenger Parkway, Crowne Plaza Orlando Airport and Embassy Suites Orlando Airport. . . .

The AAA national office in Heathrow raised $2,364 for Seminole Community College's automotive department to fund scholarships. Employees donated $1 every Friday during the month of October for the privilege of wearing casual attire to work. . . .

Spraker Wealth Management in Maitland recently had a holiday open house and fundraiser instead of a traditional holiday party. More than seven shopping carts full of clothing, nonperishable food items and toys were collected along with $1,140 for the Destiny Foundation of Central Florida.

E-mail your information to businessnews@orlandosentinel.com or call 407-420-6063.

Ellie