Wendy and Wilfred Herle, along with their daughter Tammy, were once again thrilled with the community response to the Smitty’s Family Restaurant Toys for Tots to Teens event this past Friday. Hundreds of toys and $2,500 in cash were donated. Members of the Osoyoos Kiwanis Club will use the money to purchase gifts for area teens. The gifts and toys will be given to local tots and teenagers before Christmas. Photo by Keith Lacey.
Wendy Herle never ceases to be amazed by the amount of community support that exists for the Toys for Tots to Teens fundraiser that was once again a resounding success this past Friday at Smitty’s Family Restaurant.
For the past 18 years, the Herle family – which includes Wendy, her husband Wilfred and daughter Tammy – has organized the special Christmas fundraising event. The event involves providing a free breakfast to all customers who donate a toy or make a cash donation.
A total of 229 free breakfasts were served during the 2012 event on Friday.
All of the proceeds are then turned over to the Osoyoos Kiwanis Club, who distribute the toys that are donated to area children and purchase new gifts for teenagers in the community.
“The amount of community support for this event is simply amazing,” said Herle. “We see the same faces year after year after year who volunteer their time to be a part of this great event and do their part to contribute to an event that really helps a lot of kids in our community.
“Every time I look out into the restaurant on this special day I see a lot of the same faces who return to help us out. They are so loyal and they’re the ones who help ensure this event is a great success every year.”
The Herle family started the Toys for Tots to Teens program 18 years ago when they owned the Husky Truck Stop in Osoyoos and have continued the event since they purchased Smitty’s Family Restaurant back in 2006.
The event has helped raise thousands of dollars and seen tens of thousands of toys donated by members of this community.
More than $2,000 in cash was donated last Friday along with dozens and dozens of toys of all shapes, sizes and colours.
“The Kiwanis Club does an outstanding job ensuring less fortunate families benefit from these generous donations,” said Herle.
For the staff at the restaurant the annual toy drive, traditionally held in late November or early December, is one of their favourite days of the year, said Herle.
“I have the greatest staff in the world and this is one day they really look forward to,” she said. “They love the spirit of the event and the hustle and bustle and all of the good energy that is involved.
“They all have a big smile on their face because they love it. They really do.”
Head cook Carol Babrieau, who is her sister-in-law, and the entire cooking and serving staff, deserve a lot of credit for working so hard to cook so many breakfasts during a hectic few hours, she said.
“Carol pulls it all together during an extremely busy morning, but all of the staff share the credit for working so hard for a great event,” she said.
The amount of people who come in to support the event is remarkable, said Herle.
“We never look to see what people donate or what kind of toys they bring, but we’re always amazed at how many people want to contribute what they can to be part of this wonderful community event,” she said.
“It’s all about giving what you can to ensure others can enjoy a nice Christmas.”
This year’s event included a special visit by Santa Claus as well as the band The Corner Turtles, who hail from Keremeos. The band performed at Smitty’s the week before at the annual Community Action for Seniors’ Independence (CASI) Day event and volunteered to perform at the Toys for Tots to Teens fundraiser, said Herle.
“They only thing they asked for was a free breakfast like everyone else,” she said smiling. “They volunteered their time to sing Christmas carols free of charge. They’re a perfect example of the kind of spirit that exists around this event.”
The Herle family hopes to be involved in this event for years to come.
“This place is extremely busy in the summer months and we like to travel in the winter months, so this is one of the few times of the year when we’re not so busy,” she said. “Our family are real Christmas people and we thought holding an event like this would be a great way to give back to the community.
“Here we are 18 years later and we still can’t believe the amount of community support we’ve had since we started back in 1995. It has been truly wonderful.”
Donna Kelso, secretary-treasurer with the local Osoyoos Kiwanis Club, shares the same sentiments as Herle when it comes to the kindness of the residents of Osoyoos in helping the less fortunate.
“It’s amazing how much support this event gets every year,” she said. “Osoyoos is a very caring and generous community. It’s just amazing to see how many people come out and how generous they are knowing many kids will be getting toys at Christmas because of this event.”
Kiwanis Club members will be delivering the toys and items purchased from money donated during the event to local teens and tots during the week before Christmas, said Kelso.
If it wasn’t for this event there would be several children in this community who would have to go through another Christmas season without being able to have a nice toy under the Christmas tree, said Kelso.
The Herle family is very dedicated to this cause, as is the Kiwanis Club and its members, so she has no doubt that the event is going to continue to receive excellent support from members of the community for many years to come, said Kelso.
