The Joy of Giving Helps Local Children

’Twas the morning of early Christmas at the Walmart store with incredible employees and volunteers galore. The work was all done and it was time to have fun! 35 years we’ve been rolling along and The Joy of Giving (JOG) kicked off Naples strong!

The Joy of Giving is a local charity that provides toys to needy children in Collier County, Florida. On the day of the toy giveaway, prequalified parents lined up before sunrise at the Walmart store. Dozens of volunteers for The Joy of Giving were at their posts, joined by Walmart employees who had prepped merchandise and filled shelves specifically for the event.Volunteers reviewed each cart to make the check-out was quick and easy. The end result was $170,000 in donations, spent in four hours, for 960 children in 382 families.

“Every year there is a moment when just one family can show you it was all worthwhile and I have witnessed again that this is all run by God,including the year He sent us Allyson Richards, who is a Joy of Giving angel. We wouldn’t want to be without her,” said JOG founder Nicki Davis. “Others we couldn’t be without are our Collier County Sheriff's Department and Marco Island Police, none of this would happen without them.”

And it wouldn’t happen without incredible people in our community with so many special, generous individuals, businesses and foundations including the Elizabeth K. Galeana Foundation and Noontime Rotary. The Island Country Club Charitable Foundation was also a major donor, and its chairman, Byron Farrell, said, “The members of the foundation are very generous people who realize that many of the participants could not provide Christmas for their children without this event.”

The Joy of Giving is a wonderful example of how the community comes together to help those in need and brings joy to hundreds of children each year. Even a small act of kindness can make a big difference.

If you would like to make wishes come true because Santa is coming to their house too, please donate to The Joy of Giving, P.O. Box 2302, Marco Island, Florida 34146.