Thanks to the matching grant from Rotary International and funds raised at our Flags for Heroes event, the East Cooper Breakfast Rotary Club was able to provide 66 bicycles to Toys for Tots in Charleston this year. Tripp Hoover and David Schwartz coordinated the pickup from Wal-Mart at Oakland Shopping Center in Mt. Pleasant. It was a miracle that the store had just enough bikes for our $5000 budget. Due to COVID-19 the store manager said that they were running low on bikes. Families were buying them up all year with children being home schooled and needing more exercise. In addition to the Wal-mart stock, Dimi Matouchev added in a great bike that he and his wife purchased for the cause. Dimi, Mike Bloser, Craig Johnson, and Bratton Fennell helped load the bikes into David’s landscaping company truck. The next morning, Michelle and Steve Whitbeck met Tripp and David at the Toys for Tots warehouse in Summerville to unload bikes of all sizes and colors. Alison Dailey arrived just in time to help as well and to donate toys that she brought. This year Toys for Tots has about 20,000 toy requests, 6,000 more than last year. It’s a challenging year for many families so we’re hoping our club’s contribution puts some smiles on children’s faces this Christmas.
