The third time was a charm for an 11-year-old Wallaceburg girl.
Rori Bennett recently completed her third annual toy drive for the Christmas Room program at the Ronald McDonald House in London. After gathering 150 and 210 toys the last two years, Rori managed to eclipse the total by gathering over 300 toys this time around.
“It makes me feel amazing because I can help more kids and also that the community thought that this was such an important cause, as it is to me. They helped so much,” Rori said.
On top of the 300 plus toys, she had $140 worth of gift cards to spend to add to the total.
Also, a new idea this year to donate welcome bags went over extremely well, Rori said.
“This was a new idea for families that come down in an emergency because many families, sometimes they don’t have the stuff they need,” she said. “These little welcome bags are just basic hygiene products that one would need in a day. I believe we have the adult ones that have one toothpaste, two toothbrushes, men’s deodorant and a women’s deodorant. We have 58 adult and 42 kids ones.”
Rori added: “We got the children’s ones, which McDonald’s was generous in helping us put those together. They gave us some of their old Happy Meal toys, they also gave us Happy Meal boxes, so each box consists of a toy with either a girl toothbrush or a boy toothbrush with a kids toothpaste. The older ones have ear buds, I put play dough in some depending on the age.”
Kim McAuley, Rori’s mother, said Enterprise Car Rental donated a van for them to use on Friday, Dec. 11 to make the trip from Wallaceburg to London, in order to make the drop off.
“It has grown exponentially,” she said. “The first year, she had just over 100 toys, four drop off locations and it was mostly just family and friends. Now we have actual companies… Enterprise said here is something to take it down in. Not only did they do that but they are giving us the km’s. They are giving us all the insurance coverage, the gas. They did everything because they thought it was such a great cause. Local companies up to national companies, family and friends.”
Kim said her family has been utilizing the Ronald McDonald House ever since Rori was born.
“The first time was when she was four months, right to this past year,” she said. “We have been in over the holidays. Multiple days, weeks, just depending on what was needed. There is always people out there who need more than what we have had.”
Rori said she plans on holding a fourth toy drive next year.
Kim added a friendly competition is brewing between two of Rori’s biggest local supporters as well – Devolder Farms and the volunteer firefighters in Tupperville.
“Devolder Farms has challenged the Fire Department to give as many toys as they did,” she said. “So it could get interesting next year. A little friendly competition never hurts, especially when it benefits the Ronald McDonald House.”
