Billed as a true community effort, the annual “Stuff the Cruiser” toy collection campaign and distribution of Christmas gifts to area children was again labeled a success by the event sponsors; the Seward Rotary Club and City of Seward Police Department. The collected toys were distributed in a celebration including individual shopping opportunities by the children’s guardians and parents at the Civic Center on Saturday, December 14th, hosted by the Seward Rotary Club and Seward Police Department. Almost 100 area children were presented gifts and toys through this holiday program.
Billed as a true community effort, the annual “Stuff the Cruiser” toy collection campaign and distribution of Christmas gifts to area children was again labeled a success by the event sponsors; the Seward Rotary Club and City of Seward Police Department. The collected toys were distributed in a celebration including individual shopping opportunities by the children’s guardians and parents at the Civic Center on Saturday, December 14th, hosted by the Seward Rotary Club and Seward Police Department. Almost 100 area children were presented gifts and toys through this holiday program
The project included gathering toys and “stuffing them in the local police cruiser” and transporting them to be sorted and placed on tables for distribution to area children. Local Rotarians and Seward Police Officers volunteered to gather, sort and distribute the toys. The nomination of children for the program was by cell phone, donated by US Cellular. The program was designed to give a Christmas sack of toys to children ages newborn through age 14, and there were no children denied gifts that were nominated to the program.
Toys were collected at Seward’s Dollar General. Orshlen’s Farm Store, Wal-Mart, and Chapter’s Books and Gifts, along with donations of toys and funds dropped off at the Seward Police Station. Funds supplemented the gift campaign and were used for the project. Rotarian Shelly Nitz, serves as treasurer for the project and Co-Chair and all funds are kept separate from any other Rotary accounts.
Project publicity was assisted by Rotarian Kevin Zadina of the Seward County Independent, along with his reporting staff, ad staff and production coordinators.
A committee of Seward Rotarians their spouses, student volunteers from Seward High, and Seward Police Officers sorted the gifts for the area children, based on their age and sex. On Saturday, December 14 th , a special reception was held for all nominated families featuring a drawing for children’s bikes and very large gifts, and refreshments by the sponsors. A distribution of the gifts followed, where each child’s parent or guardian was allowed to “shop” for their children’s toys, to help obtain the toys the child wanted or needed.
All remaining toys were distributed to the Seward County “Foster Friends” to also be distributed to area children in Foster Care and Blue Valley Community Action program.
Co-Chairmen for the event were Police Chief Alan Baldwin, who is a member of the Seward Rotary Club and Seward Rotarian Melanie Ayres and Shelly Nitz. The project logistics were also coordinated by Rotarians Sue Tonniges, Greg Zabka and Shelia Beins and Rotary Club President Kurth Brashear. Almost every local Rotarian and many of their spouses, Seward High student volunteers and Seward Police Officers volunteered for this true volunteer, community effort. Shelly Nitz serves as the fiscal officer for the “Stuff the Cruiser” activity and funds for the program can be directed to her at “Stuff the Cruiser” % Shelly Nitz, PO Box 103, Seward, NE 68434 or can be delivered to the Seward Police Department office at 148 South 1 st , Seward, NE.