2010 OTCA Christmas Appeal

[STL]

The title sums it all up. For a long time now, I've been thinking of this idea. I think I first discussed this with Griffin close to 2 years ago. However, I've now decided to stop procrastinating, get off my backside and do something about it.

The Goal
The idea is to pick two organisations that need help and are under-serviced by the larger charities like the Smith Family, the Salvation Army, Starlight Foundation etc. Together we as a community donate gifts to these under-serviced charities

My hope is that we as a community can do this once a year. It's not a charity in the sense that it is an ongoing accessible service but what I do hope it does become is a sustained once a year effort to make a little difference in the lives of some of those kids who are not so fortunate at this time of the year.

I have one Charitable organisation that I'm working with at the moment. The other slot is still to be filled:
1.) Orana Family Services (http://oranafamilyservices.org.au/)
2.) [TBD]


But why us?

We all come to OTCA because we as a community share a common interest that spawned from the same thing. Toys were a big part of our childhoods and still are today. They've helped to entertain us, inspire us, and spark our imagination and it's my hope we can use Christmas as a once a year occasion where we can try and share this.

Some other questions/points:
- One other thing we as a community are good at is knowing when a good deal/clearance is on because we go hunting in the aisles so frequently. This means throughout the year, we could easily buy cheap toys when we see them on sale. For instance, the $12 deluxes or $3 legends come to mind. Lego clearances as well are good. Like little boxes often get cleared at K-Mart for $2 and so on. So I think that makes us better positioned to get bang for our charity bucks over the course of an entire year.

- No one should feel obligated to spend a certain amount. It's about giving and sharing. Not about the $$$ spent. No gift is too poor or too little. An RPM or a deluxe? Unimportant. To an unhappy family, an unhappy child, this is a little bit of happiness and that's the most important bit.

- What happens if you're interstate but still want to contribute? I can supply the charity's address. They will know it's coming from us. Let me know as well so we can keep a register. If you've bought something earlier in the year but don't want the hassle of storing it all year, I'm happy for you to send it to me.

- How do we get it there?
I'm happy to act as a collection point/collector in Melbourne. If you're from interstate, I'll supply an address. Importantly though, mention the "OTCA 2010 Christmas Appeal" in the "From" section.

- About me? Most longstanding members of the board will know me, I've been around here for awhile now. But beyond my interest here, I've been personally involved in charitable causes for the last 10 years of my life. In that time, I've helped out with the Salvation Army Outreach program, organised playgroups in the North-western suburbs in Victoria, participated in local parks programs, helped manage indigenous awareness programs, family law clinics, tutored kids with disabilities, worked with churches to provide support to families in need and many other activities. It's not my day job, no., but I'm very passionate about this and have a lot experience working with such groups.

- There's still one charity slot to fill. If anyone has any ideas/suggestions let me know. I have a few ideas already on who and where to approach but more than happy to work with any other organisation too.

- I'm toying with the idea of tracking how many toys we've accumulated over the year for each Christmas. I will investigate this further though.

Any questions or comments are more than welcome.

Remember, no gift is too little. Every bit counts.

[1AZRAEL1]

I love this idea. I'll do some hunting when I get paid again and help out by buying some legends or something.

[Bartrim]

Great idea.

I've got some tf's I'd be willing to give away. Does loose matter? Otherwise I've got some other stuff still sealed I can give away.

[Hursticon]

A very good idea indeed.

This year I've had a number of run ins with parents and little-ies that are big on Transformers which to me demonstrates that our beloved franchise is certainly enjoying a renaissance with scores of news fans.

I have no doubt that there would be a high number of disadvantaged children that would love a TF, so I'd like to throw my full support behind this cause.

I've not a lot of money, but I'd very much like to play a part.

[loophole]

awesome idea!! i would gladly help out

[BigPenney]

I would certainly like to help out with this.

[Gutsman Heavy]

I've a lot of TFs that I haven't been able to/to lazy to sell. Not new but in good condition, would they be alright?

[Autocon]

i fully indorse this idea!!!! awsome stuff!!

[Seraphim Prime]

I like the idea.

But to all those saying that they have a few old TFs they could donate, to me, you seem to kind of miss the point. Think how excited you were as kid to get a toy you weren't expecting. Something that was yours and yours alone. Many of the kids that will get gifts through these services have never had that many things they can call their own, and to get a brand new toy that has all its pieces that has never been played with by anyone else is smoething they don't get to experience often, and is something most of us could provide for them quite easily.


As for other organisations to support, it's a little late for this year, but for future years can I suggest Operation Christmas Child. That way we will have one Australian charity and one international charity? Basically the idea is you fill a shoebox with gifts appropriate for a certain child, then Samaritan's Purse will distribute them to people in the developing world (like Ethiopia, Burma, etc) who would not otherwise receive presents.

[5FDP]

But to all those saying that they have a few old TFs they could donate, to me, you seem to kind of miss the point.

It would be wise to keep in mind that not everyone is in a position to donate a brand new toy.

This is a completely personal decision and I'm sure that whatever is donated would be appreciated by a child less fortunate.

As STL said, no gift is too little. Every bit counts.