Event to begin on Nov. 29, to benefit children and teens through Judicial Circuit’s Guardian ad Litem program, Teen Court of Sarasota and All Star Children’s Foundation
The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office will host its Eighth Annual Holiday Toy Drive, benefitting the 12th Judicial Circuit’s Guardian ad Litem (GAL) program, Teen Court of Sarasota, and All Star Children’s Foundation, Sheriff Kurt A. Hoffman has announced.
The toy drive has evolved into a holiday project that the agency’s members and Sarasota County residents “look forward to every year,” a news release says. Since its launch in 2017, the program has enabled the Sheriff’s Office to donate more than 15,000 gifts and $45,585 in gift cards to children and teens, with the assistance of agency members, residents, local businesses, and organizations, the release adds.
Working with the GAL program for the past seven years and partnering with Teen Court of Sarasota and All Star Children’s Foundation for the last two, the Sheriff’s Office has seen more and more youngsters in Sarasota County benefit from this toy drive, as “the community has made it successful and helped it grow,” the release points out.
“Providing for these wonderful organizations and helping bring joy to children in our community is what the holiday season is all about!” said Sheriff Hoffman in the release. “Each year we are happily surprised that the response gets bigger and bigger. Our community and our employees love to be part of this uplifting event!”
In Sarasota, Manatee, and DeSoto counties, more than 1,000 children have been removed from their homes because they have suffered abuse or neglect, the release explains; as a result, they are part of the GAL program.
Teen Court’s mission is to create a second chance for at-risk youth and help them “make positive choices through meaningful consequences, peer mentorship, and civic engagement,” the release continues.
“Finally, All Star Children’s Foundation exists to provide children in foster care with a secure environment where they feel valued, safe, and empowered,” the release adds.
The toy drive will provide for newborns, children and teens up to the age of 18, the release points out. The Sheriff’s Office welcomes new, unwrapped toys and gift cards. “We are unable to accept clothing or stuffed animals,” the release notes.
The collection period will begin on Friday, Nov. 29, and continue through Friday, Dec. 13, the release says.
As a new feature this year, residents may deliver gifts to two locations: the agency headquarters standing at 6010 Cattleridge Blvd. in Sarasota, where gifts will be accepted seven days a week between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.; and the South County Office, which is located at 4531 Annex Road in Venice, with gifts welcome Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“Additionally, toys and gift cards can be ordered and delivered from our Amazon Wishlist,” the release points out. “Please follow our social media platforms for details.”
In a change from years past, the holiday Toy Drive will not coincide with the agency’s annual open house, the release adds. The latter event will be moved to the spring of 2025.
“A special thanks to the Sarasota Memorial Hospital Public Safety Department,” whose members “are continuing the annual tradition of generously donating our holiday tree to serve as the toy drive’s collection site,” the release says.
For more information, contact the Sheriff’s Office Community Affairs Office at 941-861-4005.