CTV Barrie’s Toy Mountain Campaign Raises $260,000 for Families

In a remarkable display of community spirit, CTV Barrie’s Toy Mountain campaign raised over $260,000 to support families in need during the holiday season. The campaign concluded in December, having directly benefited 3,300 individuals and more than 2,000 families across the region.

Jerome Ben Tolila, manager of communications and media relations with Simcoe Muskoka Family Connexions, emphasized the essential role of community involvement in achieving this success. “It’s always impressive to see how the community comes together, and we couldn’t do this without the community,” Tolila stated. He noted that this year marked an all-time high for funds raised, thanks to contributions from both local businesses and individual donors.

Throughout the campaign, CTV Barrie collaborated with local radio stations, Pure Country 106 and Bounce 104.1, to raise awareness and gather donations. They conducted stops at various locations, including Canadian Tire stores in Midland, Bradford, and Innisfil, as well as collecting donations at events organized by the South Simcoe Police. Local businesses in Barrie, including Tilemaster, Puroclean, and Peggy Hill, also actively participated by collecting donations for Toy Mountain.

Schools in Collingwood contributed by organizing collection drives, while local organizations delivered donations daily to the CTV Barrie station located on Beacon Road. The campaign concluded with additional collection events at Zehrs grocery stores on Essa and Bayfield streets in Barrie. In a generous gesture, Access Storage presented a cheque for $2,500 to Simcoe Muskoka Family Connexions to further support the initiative.

This year, the campaign expanded its scope by including toiletry items, which proved to be in high demand. Tolila remarked on the positive response from the community, saying, “We’ve seen an increase this year in terms of the quality of items that we get, which was a mix of toys but also toiletry items, which are always needed around that time.”

Several notable companies, such as Crayola, Mattel, Playmobil, VTech, Imports Dragon, and LeapFrog, contributed to the campaign by donating toys, enhancing the overall impact of the initiative.

The Toy Mountain campaign aims to bring joy and create lasting memories for families who may otherwise face a challenging holiday season. “We really try to make a difference for everyone that’s struggling, and we do the most we can by spreading joy,” concluded Tolila. This successful campaign serves as a testament to the power of community collaboration in supporting those in need during the holidays.