Toys for Tots has successful second year in Havre

Toys for Tots was able to provide a number of Havre families in need with Christmas presents this year, organizer and Edward Jones Financial Advisor Jennifer Tilleman said.

“This year we nearly doubled in size,” she said.

She added that this year the Toys for Tots program was able to serve more than 70 children, providing toys for more than 30 different families in the Havre area.

Toys for Tots partnered with a number of businesses and organizations this year to help the program expand, she said. Some of the partners were the Havre Salvation Army, Pacific Steel, Independence Bank, Bergren Transmission and Auto Care, Triple Dog Brewing Co. and Helmbrecht Photography. She added that she wanted to keep the support local because the program is serving local children.

“They were instrumental in our success,” she said.

With the help of the partners, Tilleman said, they were able to collect close to 200 toys. But because of the large number of children the program needed to serve, Tilleman had to go to Great Falls to meet with the Toys for Tots district coordinator, which includes eight different counties, to receive about 25 additional toys.

“It was very much a success,” she added.

Triple Dog Brewing Co. partnered with Helmbrecht Photography to hold a holiday photo session fundraiser for Toys for Tots program. People could go to Triple Dog and pay $25 for a photo session with local photographer and studio owner Steve Helmbrecht. All of the proceeds from the photo session were donated to the Toys for Tots Program. This year was the second year the two businesses have held a fundraiser for Toys for Tots.

Tilleman said that the fundraiser raised more than $550 for the program. She added that she hopes that as Toys for Tots continues and grows, Triple Dog and Helmbrecht Photography will continue to partner with the program.

She said Pacific Steel was able to raise more than $200 for the program. She said that Pacific Steel donated proceeds they received from donated scrap metal community members brought in. 

Tilleman said she also wanted to thank Independence Bank for their partnership this year, adding that the bank was able to provide muscle to the program.

All of the money raised was used to purchase toys for the program, she said, but a large majority of the toys were donated from the local community.

The program is continuing to grow in Havre and expand, Tilleman said, and in the future she would like to see these partnerships continue.

“That’s something I would like to see continue,” she said.

This year was also the first time Toys for Tots partnered with the Salvation Army, she said. She added that it was a great partnership and with the first year completed, they have a clear vision for what they want to do next year. 

Tilleman first got involved with Toys for Tots after Havre Jaycees announced that it was putting a pause on its annual Community Toy Chest program.

She said that Edward Jones has had a long relationship with the Toys for Tots program and the only reason Toys for Tots was not in Havre previously was because of the success of the Jaycees Community Toy Chest.

Toys for Tots is a 501 (c)(3) fundraiser through the U.S. Marine Corps to collect toys, funds and other gifts for underprivileged children and families during the holiday season. The program averages donating more than 18 million toys for more than 7 million children every year.

Tilleman said that she has a number of reasons why she likes participating in Toys for Tots.

“The holidays should absolutely be a happy time of year where you are enjoying your family and your loved ones, and unfortunately for maybe those families that don’t have the resources, (they can’t) to give their children the Christmas they want to,” she said. 

She added that Christmas should not be a time of stress but a time for giving.

“Anything we can do to help, i mean, That’s why I do what I do,” she said.

Toys for Tots is also nice because it is important that every child is able to get a new toy, something they can call their own and is not a hand-me-down, she said.

Tilleman said she expects the program to continue to grow in the future and she plans to continue partnering with local organizations and businesses to give local children a great Christmas.