2011 OTCA Christmas Drive

[crankcase76]

mate sounds like a great idea for kids that will not get alot this Christmas, i will definately be in it. as i came from a family with not alot i guess that was my drive to collect. plus i'd like to think that if my family was in this situation that someone would do the same for them.

only Q i have is that does it have to be just an Dotm HA or can we go for the deluxe as well?

[Hursticon]

As the Xmas Drive that STL organised with a number of others doesn't seem to of resurfaced this year, which was no small feat mind you, I'll be glad to join in on this as soon as I can find my way past a Kmart - How long does the $10 price-tag remain?

[bowspearer]

mate sounds like a great idea for kids that will not get alot this Christmas, i will definately be in it. as i came from a family with not alot i guess that was my drive to collect. plus i'd like to think that if my family was in this situation that someone would do the same for them.

Excellent, welcome aboard .

only Q i have is that does it have to be just an Dotm HA or can we go for the deluxe as well?

It's your call, but bear this in mind. At $25 a deluxe, you can get 2 and a half HA basics at that price and so you can reach 2 and a half times the amount of kids for the same money spent. That's the other reason I suggested HA Basics @ $10- there's just much more economy of scale there for what you're spending .

Like I said though, it's your call. If you'd rather say, get 1 or 2 kids a deluxe instead of 2-5 kids a basic for that amount of money, then either way, kids who might have gotten nothing are still getting something .

As the Xmas Drive that STL organised with a number of others doesn't seem to of resurfaced this year, which was no small feat mind you, I'll be glad to join in on this as soon as I can find my way past a Kmart - How long does the $10 price-tag remain?

Excellent. As for the price, it looks like it's a price drop from what I could see- the price tag I saw wasn't a sale tag. My guess is it lasts just as long as they still have HA basics in and for the purposes of this, until the cutoff date for the giving tree.

[Hursticon]

Excellent. As for the price, it looks like it's a price drop from what I could see- the price tag I saw wasn't a sale tag. My guess is it lasts just as long as they still have HA basics in and for the purposes of this, until the cutoff date for the giving tree.

Sweet as, I'll let you know what happens guys.

[UltraMarginal]

tried to get something started a few months ago.

haven't heard from STL if he's been talking to the same charities he was taking to last year. I do like the giving tree idea as well.

[jena]

That's an awesome idea. I'll definitely pop something under the wishing tree. The basic Kre-O sets are another option. And clearance tags have been appearing on those.

[Firestorm]

This is a great idea,
I'll try and contribute too

oh and for those of you who want to buy a deluxe Kmart does have those exclusive Deluxe DOTM optimus toys (pretty sure those are like $15 each)

[STL]

Great work, Bowspearer. I'm definitely happy to fall behind this as I haven't organised it this year as I did last. It was my hope to redo it this year but I just haven't been able to. I have over the course of the year though purchased cheap toys to donate and will be more than happy to contribute to this effort.

tried to get something started a few months ago.

haven't heard from STL if he's been talking to the same charities he was taking to last year. I do like the giving tree idea as well.

My apologies. I haven't been in a position to follow up this year as I've had to manage a lot of things in my personal life. I have been in touch with the charities and I'm not sure how many are aware but Orana Family Services is ceasing operations after a nasty media incident earlier this year where one of the orphans ran off while on excursion (being mischevious) which placed enormous pressure on Orana as the mainstream media bombarded it for "abandoning" a child.

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/ch...824-1jacz.html

It's very unfortunate and it's a reminder how difficult it is to manage such orphans. As tragic as their backgrounds are, they are real kids with often more than real idiosycracies that do not make them easy to look after. Having attended and met with the children, I admire the work that was done there as well as the staff who had worked hard to do right by these kids. Broadmeadows / Meadow Heights (where Orana is located) is not an easy place for a youth to grow up, let alone an orphaned one.

The other organisation the IFYS I have been in touch with but as I was unable to organise this pre-October (when they do their planning, logistics and budgeting) we were not able to contribute but they will be keen for us to help again next year.

So in short, I do feel bad for dropping the ball this year but will aim to get things back on track next year as hopefully things settle down for me. In the meantime, I'm more happy to get behind any other initiatives anyone may have.