Lisa 23
12-20-09, 05:16 PM
'Shaq-A-Claus' scores with Toys for Tots at Toys R Us
http://i.usatoday.net/money/_photos/2009/12/21/sharingx.jpg (http://javascript<b></b>:;)
NBA superstar Shaquille O'Neal (http://content.usatoday.com/topics/topic/People/Athletes/NBA/Shaquille+O'Neal) has been buying truckloads of toys for needy kids at Toys R Us (http://content.usatoday.com/topics/topic/Organizations/Companies/Retail/Toys+R+Us) stores for 15 years. Store managers in cities he was visiting would open their doors at midnight so he could shop uninterrupted by fans.
The trips helped earn O'Neal the nickname "Shaq-A-Claus."
Now he has expanded his reach to thousands more kids as spokesman for Toys R Us and the Marine Corps' Toys for Tots Foundation campaign. Between Oct. 22 and Dec. 6, the campaign has collected about 200,000 toys for underprivileged kids. Donations are being collected in Toys R Us and Babies R Us (http://content.usatoday.com/topics/topic/Organizations/Companies/Retail/Toys+R+Us) stores nationwide and online at Toysrus.com/ToysforTots until Thursday. O'Neal took a break from practice with the Cleveland Cavaliers (http://content.usatoday.com/topics/topic/Organizations/Sports+Leagues/NBA/Cleveland+Cavaliers) recently to talk to USA TODAY about his charity work.
Q: Why did you decide to work with Toys R Us and the Toys for Tots campaign?
A: I was already inadvertently in business with Toys R Us. I would always bag myself the opportunity to go in at midnight to get two to three truckloads. The kids I deal with always want a lot of toys. They were either from local boys' clubs, fan mail, other organizations or foster homes. I would get letters from groups, and I would tell them, "Today's the day; write down a list of what you want." Instead of going to 100 different stores, I always just went to Toys R Us, because they have all the toys. I used to get toys for 100 to 500 kids. Now, I can get them to hundreds of thousands.
Q: What personal experiences motivated you to make toys at Christmas such a priority?
A: When I was a kid, there were five of us. Being the young man, my parents always had to take care of the girls first. One Christmas when I was about 9 or 10, I thought I wasn't getting anything. I understood that, and it was cool with me. But my stepfather got me an autographed Dr. J basketball. He didn't really autograph it, but at that age, I didn't know any better. My life was transformed.
My kids are doing excellent in school. If they get good grades, they go to Toys R Us. I ask them how many toys they want and if they say five, I tell them "The only way you're going to get five, is if you give 10 away." They go to their rooms and gather up any old toy they don't like, and we bring them to a shelter. We take toys that are kind of beat up and at the shelters, the kids just appreciate them so much. When we saw that at a Phoenix shelter, it brought a tear to my eye and to my son's eye. They didn't just want to just throw them away; they were treating the toys like they were brand new.
Q: What can people do to help?
A: We're asking for donations. I read something that was very alarming to me. Millions of kids wake up and do not have any toys. Toys R Us would like to slim down those numbers. I realize that we're in dire times, but a dollar would do, a quarter would do. We're not asking for a lot. Those who can, we'd like them to give. If they can't give anything, we also understand.
http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/2009-12-20-sharing_N.htm
http://i.usatoday.net/money/_photos/2009/12/21/sharingx.jpg (http://javascript<b></b>:;)
NBA superstar Shaquille O'Neal (http://content.usatoday.com/topics/topic/People/Athletes/NBA/Shaquille+O'Neal) has been buying truckloads of toys for needy kids at Toys R Us (http://content.usatoday.com/topics/topic/Organizations/Companies/Retail/Toys+R+Us) stores for 15 years. Store managers in cities he was visiting would open their doors at midnight so he could shop uninterrupted by fans.
The trips helped earn O'Neal the nickname "Shaq-A-Claus."
Now he has expanded his reach to thousands more kids as spokesman for Toys R Us and the Marine Corps' Toys for Tots Foundation campaign. Between Oct. 22 and Dec. 6, the campaign has collected about 200,000 toys for underprivileged kids. Donations are being collected in Toys R Us and Babies R Us (http://content.usatoday.com/topics/topic/Organizations/Companies/Retail/Toys+R+Us) stores nationwide and online at Toysrus.com/ToysforTots until Thursday. O'Neal took a break from practice with the Cleveland Cavaliers (http://content.usatoday.com/topics/topic/Organizations/Sports+Leagues/NBA/Cleveland+Cavaliers) recently to talk to USA TODAY about his charity work.
Q: Why did you decide to work with Toys R Us and the Toys for Tots campaign?
A: I was already inadvertently in business with Toys R Us. I would always bag myself the opportunity to go in at midnight to get two to three truckloads. The kids I deal with always want a lot of toys. They were either from local boys' clubs, fan mail, other organizations or foster homes. I would get letters from groups, and I would tell them, "Today's the day; write down a list of what you want." Instead of going to 100 different stores, I always just went to Toys R Us, because they have all the toys. I used to get toys for 100 to 500 kids. Now, I can get them to hundreds of thousands.
Q: What personal experiences motivated you to make toys at Christmas such a priority?
A: When I was a kid, there were five of us. Being the young man, my parents always had to take care of the girls first. One Christmas when I was about 9 or 10, I thought I wasn't getting anything. I understood that, and it was cool with me. But my stepfather got me an autographed Dr. J basketball. He didn't really autograph it, but at that age, I didn't know any better. My life was transformed.
My kids are doing excellent in school. If they get good grades, they go to Toys R Us. I ask them how many toys they want and if they say five, I tell them "The only way you're going to get five, is if you give 10 away." They go to their rooms and gather up any old toy they don't like, and we bring them to a shelter. We take toys that are kind of beat up and at the shelters, the kids just appreciate them so much. When we saw that at a Phoenix shelter, it brought a tear to my eye and to my son's eye. They didn't just want to just throw them away; they were treating the toys like they were brand new.
Q: What can people do to help?
A: We're asking for donations. I read something that was very alarming to me. Millions of kids wake up and do not have any toys. Toys R Us would like to slim down those numbers. I realize that we're in dire times, but a dollar would do, a quarter would do. We're not asking for a lot. Those who can, we'd like them to give. If they can't give anything, we also understand.
http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/2009-12-20-sharing_N.htm