The Batavia Toy Drive is looking to make the holidays brighter for children once again this year, organizers said.
The all-volunteer effort now in its 67th year is organized through the nonprofit Batavia Action Committee on Community, Environmental and Social Services.
This year’s toy drive was formally launched at a recent Batavia City Council meeting.
“This program is probably one of the grandest moments of Batavia during the entire year,” Batavia Mayor Jeff Schielke said. “The number of families and children served by this group is remarkable.”
Volunteers Rudy Dubis and Roy Bailey Jr. have spearheaded the local drive in recent years.
The Batavia Fire Department helps out whenever toys need to be relocated to the distribution site.
“The Batavia Fire Department does a great job for us,” Dubis said.
Dubis said toys will be accepted through Dec. 9. The toys will be given to eligible families that come to pick-up toys for their children.
“Hopefully we’ll have a great year. Last year, we took care of more than 600 kids,” Dubis said.
Both Dubis and Bailey are graduates of Batavia High School. Dubis for years has been the public address announcer for Batavia High School basketball and football games. Bailey, a Batavia Public School 2017 Hall of Fame inductee, played in the band all four years of his high school days.
“All the help is greatly appreciated from the folks in Batavia. They always come through for us,” Dubis said.
Schielke said former Batavia Fire Chief Bud Richter started the toy drive in 1950 in part to give firefighters on 24-hour watch at the station something to do.
“We were running maybe 10 calls a month in those days,” Schielke said.
Schielke said the fire chief decided firefighters could repair old toys and donate them to the Rotary Club, whose members would then go out on Dec. 23 and deliver toys to families that were in need.
“The idea took hold,” Schielke said.
The mayor said there were some years when people donated an exceptionally high number of dolls that needed new clothes. He said the Ladies Auxiliary from the Batavia Overseas Post 1197 VFW decided to make doll clothes.
Schielke said the drive was eventually turned over to the Batavia Action Committee on Community, Environmental and Social Services.
“We have had some really great-hearted people step forward to assume the leadership of this drive,” he said.
Mildred and Roy Bailey and Ruth and Don Johnsen were instrumental in the early years in getting the toy drive going, he said.
“It’s been handed-down now to Rudy and Roy,” the mayor said.
Schielke said each year he is impressed with how many people are impacted by the generosity of Batavia citizens that donate to the cause. Parents and guardians of children are recommended for the program by local churches, schools and the fire department. They are then invited to select age appropriate gift items for their children.
“The dynamics of this are something unlike anything else I have seen in this town. The numbers of people who are really seriously in need receive toys,” he said. “We are appreciative of all of the good efforts.”
The toy drive accepts gently used and new toys for children and gifts for young teens. Toy collection sites are at the Batavia Fire Department at 800 E. Wilson St. and Batavia Fire Department Station 2 at 1400 Main St., as well as the Batavia Public Library at 10 S. Batavia Ave. and Funway at 1335 S. River St.
Monetary donations can be made out to Batavia ACCESS and marked for the toy drive, mailed or delivered to the Batavia Police Department at 100 N. Island Ave., Batavia, IL 60510.
Linda Girardi is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
