History

Toys…though not a basic life need (i.e. food, shelter, clothing) are the TOOLS that children need to carry out their all-important "task" of playing. The act of playing is as important to a child’s emotional and mental development and well-being as food and shelter are to their physical well-being.

Toy Rescue Mission (TRM) is an all-volunteer run, grass-roots organization. It was organized in 1991 with the purpose of providing toys to children who find themselves in unfortunate circumstances, either due to family hardship or an immediate disaster. TRM programs center upon recycling used but still useable toys. Its volunteers are dedicated to its Mission:

TRM is committed to the innovative refurbishing and recycling of toys with the objective of providing joy to underprivileged children and seniors while providing meaningful volunteer opportunities to children of all ages.

TRM is proud of its following attributes:

• A strong, thriving 18 year existence;
• Increased growth in the community while depending solely on a 98% volunteer staff;
• Emphasis on BUILDING A SENSE OF COMMUNITY through implementation of innovative social development programs with an emphasis on volunteer participation and recycling!

Our Motto: "TEAMWORK IS THE SEED THAT ALLOWS ORDINARY PEOPLE TO PRODUCE EXTRA-ORDINARY RESULTS!"
That’s why we are where we are today!

 

EVALUATING OUR SUCCESS

The success of our programs is established largely through several means, some tangible and other intangible. The tangible results are the detailed records that show increased growth and outreach in the communities we serve:

• Increased total number of toys we are able to provide to the community.
• Increased numbers of volunteers participating in our programs: all volunteers are required to document their hours in a logbook; this includes hours worked off-site (at home or at any other facility; i.e. groups performing activities at their locations). At the end of each month, hours are tabulated and kept in a database to be totaled at year’s end.
  • Increased exposure (increased public awareness of our services).
  • Increased numbers of children/seniors served: At time of service, each child served is issued a “tracking form” which documents the following information: child’s name, age and gender, “event” (Christmas, Easter, birthday) and number/type of toys received. This information is placed in a database for compilation and comparison records at year’s end.
  • Letters of appreciation/recognition sent to TRM from our recipients (individuals and organizations). The organizations with which we are involved (at this time about 75, but always growing) acknowledge that the provision of these toys allows them to expand their services and outreach in the community!)
• The intangible results are the words of appreciation and dedication of our volunteers, along with the FUN we are having, and the expressions of joy and gratitude written on the faces of parents and children alike!
• Increased organizational development to include new and expanded current programs.

 

TOY RESCUE MISSION’S BENEFITS TO PARENTS

• Families living in shelters especially appreciate toys (provided by TRM) that are offered to their children as newly arriving residents, to help transition them in their new and unfamiliar surroundings.
• Parents of needy children find our resources a means of relieving some of the stress of trying to provide gifts for birthdays, Christmas and Easter.
• Families being served by Emergency Services in times of crisis or trauma, appreciate TRM's "Bear Hugs" program (stuffed toys we provide to these services).
• Parents of young children blessed with an abundance of toys, appreciate having a place to bring their children to "share" their toys and view pictures of some of the recipients of their “prized possessions.”
• Parents having teens or young adults with physical, emotional or mental challenges, appreciate our “Project Special Skills”: volunteer projects that can be adapted to their child's particular needs and abilities.
• Parents appreciate the emphasis TRM places on the volunteer contributions of children as young as four years old, who are considered part of a valued team. Through our “Family Time” program, these young toy “experts” play a crucial role in the identification of toys sometimes unfamiliar to their adult counterparts!
• Parents having high school or college-bound teens appreciate our “Leaders for Tomorrow” Program: An internship program pairing youth with adult mentors from our volunteer work force and the community to: provide opportunities for these students to discover new skills, or further develop existing ones; to demonstrate valuable job-related and marketable skills; to provide an opportunity to gain much-needed work experience; to motivate students to become more focused and goal-oriented; to teach youth the value in fulfilling a need in society, and to demonstrate our strongest values: caring, compassion and community.