CHIGIVESBACK ON TRACK TO DISTRIBUTING OVER 20,000+ TOYS TO FAMILIES IN NEED THROUGHOUT CHICAGOLAND
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 20, 2022
(CHICAGO, ILLINOIS) As you’re making that holiday list and checking it twice, please add one more thing before you start shopping – Join ChiGivesBack at TAO Chicago for a toy drive benefiting families in need living in the Chicagoland area on Sunday, December 18, 2022 at 6:00pm!
As the holidays approach, the 6th Annual Chicagoland Toy Drive, a subsidiary project of ChiGivesBack, begins the important task of assisting Santa by filling his bag with 5,000 gifts for homeless youth. The organization is set to surpass the 20,000+ mark in toys distributed since the start of the toy drive – this equates to over $500,000 in toys provided to Chicagoland children. This season is one of the most important times in a young person’s life and we want to do our part to ensure that we bring goodwill and cheer to local families in our community. Financial burdens caused by economic hardships can make celebrating difficult for many people. According to the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, there are over 82,212 homeless individuals in the city of Chicago. Of this number, over 18,117 of them are students.
ChiGivesBack was founded by Kouri Marshall, Sandi Robinson and John Boddie who share a vision to support the local community through unique charitable experiences. The festivities at TAO Chicago will feature sponsored beverages and passed D’oeuvres from 6PM-9PM, a silent auction, raffles and give-aways throughout the evening. We will be joined by our event MC, The Chicago Comedian Korporate. Auction items, beverages, toys, gift cards and cash donations were secured through contributions from sponsors such as Discover Mastercard, Grey Goose, TAO Cares, Torresella, Moors Brewing Company and Top Bloc.
“To move forward in life you have to give back to others,” says Sandi Robinson, Director of Sales for the Godfrey Hotel. “So often children are left behind and we wanted to do our part to make sure we could contribute. It feels amazing to give to back, especially to children in need.”
New, unwrapped toys will be collected during the party and should be geared toward boys and girls ages 1 to 17. The toys will benefit homeless and low income families in the Chicago area and will be donated to local partnering organizations.
According to John Boddie, Senior Manager, Business Development at DraftKings “Toys are the focal point of this holiday party because you have to be the change in the world in order to see the change around you.”
Kouri Marshall adds, “If people can not attend, we still encourage them to make a contribution to the toy drive via our webiite -- all funds raised will have a direct impact on a young person who otherwise might not receive gifts, but for our benevolence.”
In addition to the event at TAO, ChiGivesBack will be distributing toys across the city in partnership with the Chicago Police Department in a Santa Claus Motorcade and also on Christmas Eve.
Please help us make this holiday a memorable one! We look forward to seeing you on Dec. 18th!
Of course, the hashtags are: #ChiToyDrive and #ToysForChicago
Relevant Links:
● Event Page: https://www.chigivesback.com/chi-toy-drive
● Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/events/708315154139828
About ChiGivesBack, Inc.:
ChiGivesBack’s mission is to improve the welfare of our global community via innovative charitable experiences. The nonprofit organization depends on volunteers and the generosity of donors to support it’s programming which includes The Chicagoland Toy Drive, Teach2Give supporting Chicago Public School teachers, ChefsGiveBack an initiative to boost food quality in area neighborhoods, #RandomActsofKindness which provides resources to those in emergency need and also countless acts of service to improve the Chicagoland community. For more information, please visit chigivesback.com or visit us on Instagram at @ChiGivesBack.