Helping San Francisco, One Toy at a Time

Many think fondly of the holiday season, looking back to happy childhood memories of family, good food, and new toys. However, for many underprivileged children in San Francisco, this is not always the case. In classic holiday spirit, Gregg Lynn, Derek Barnes, and Arthur Goodrich, friends and former colleagues of our executive director Ellen Goodman, organized a very special Toys for Tots event at the St. Regis Hotel to brighten the season for needy children. The cost of admission was one or more unwrapped new toys. Toys were donated to organizations that provide services to local Bay Area children who otherwise wouldn’t receive a gift this holiday season. As part of our December community service project for AmeriCorps members, Playworks San Francisco was proud to work as the on-site volunteer crew for Toys for Tots. AmeriCorps members and staff worked the coat check, registration, and even shuttled toys to and from the tree. It was a busy and successful evening with over 1000 in attendance and 1654 donations. Thank you Toys for Tots for inviting Playworks to participate in a wonderful volunteer opportunity!