Toys for Tots gears up for the holidays

Jill Holloway, Thomasville Times-Enterprise, Ga.
·2 min read

Dec. 4—THOMASVILLE- Georgia State Patrol- Post 12 Thomasville has been hard at work organizing Toys for Tots drives at local Walmarts.

According to Sgt. Robert Corbin, GSP- Post 12 has held three drives so far, with their most recent drive this past Saturday at the Thomasville Walmart.

The annual fundraiser began on on November 11th at the Walmart in Camilla, where GSP collected $422 in donations, and filled two large boxes of toys. They would double that amount when fundraising at the Moultrie Walmart on November 18th, stuffing four large boxes full of toys and raising $822 in donations.

The deputies held their third drive over the weekend, where they raised $300 in donations, but collected five boxes filled to the brim with toys, for a total of $1,377 raised in donations and 11 boxes of toys.

Corbin said all of the toys collected go straight back into the community they are stationed in.

All toys gathered in Camilla will be sent to the Hero House, with toys in Moultrie and Thomasville to be passed out by the local Sheriff's Office.

Corbin said none of this would be possible without the coordination of Trooper Frank Gay and members of the community.

"Events like this cannot be successful without the generosity of the community," Corbin said. "Everyone always asks what they can do and it's always a great time to be out there at Walmart and see the kids."

Corbin wishes GSP was able to dedicate more time to the annual fundraiser, but said they have been swamped following the death of former first lady Rosalynn Carter with security detail and their regular workday routines.

However, Corbin and his fellow troopers will put all that aside this upcoming weekend when they compete in a Toys for Tots Softball Tournament in Valdosta.

Corbin explained their Post will go up against other GSP Posts all in good fun. To view the softball tournament, guests are asked to bring a toy or monetary donation to Toys for Tots.

Corbin hopes this tournament, along with their presence at Walmart will show the public that being a Trooper is a lot more than just stopping cars.

"Being a Trooper is all about being a public servant," Corbin said. "Our customer right now is the underprivileged kids of Southwest Georgia and we are here to serve them."

Serving the kids of Southwest Georgia takes a village and Corbin realizes they are only a small piece of the puzzle that includes the public, the U.S. Marines, and the Sheriff's Office.

"We just want to help as much as we can," he said. "We may not get to deliver them, but we can help generate the toys."

For those unable to attend the softball tournament or any of the toy drives, monetary donations and toys are still being accepted until Dec. 22nd.