FOR THE KIDS BENEFIT FOUNDATION INC

The Toy Run is currently accepting sponsorships and donations for its 29th year where all proceeds go to the Salvation Army to help provide Christmas to children / families in need. Last November, Chey and I sat down with Lt Michael & Lt Amanda Cain that are currently leading the Grayson County location. We had several questions regarding how the money was used and making sure that all the money given was being used to help the children. We found out that the application process starts in July and that this is Amanda's 9th year working the Angel Tree Project. Each family must apply for assistance and must qualify using the same guidelines the state uses for food stamps. They are required to provide proof of income, expense listing and budgets. Amanda makes sure to share the names of the families that they help so that other organizations know and do not duplicate efforts with the same families in order to reach out to more people in our community. All of the money raised / donated by our organization stays here in Grayson, Cooke and Fannin Counties. They are looking into a way to better serve Cooke and Fannin since the drive is a little further and may put a burden on families when it comes to picking up the gifts and Christmas dinner. Grayson's location is a stand-alone facility and does not report to a regional level - this is why they can guarantee the money stays locally like we want.

In 2021, we were able to donate $60,000 which helped 267 families with just under 600 children.
In 2022, we were able to donate $66,000 which helped 310 families with just under 725 children.

During the year, our foundation helps others and wants to continue to grow in order bridge a gap for those that are in need and not just at Christmas. My husband's oldest child, Blake, had a form of MPS that required several trips to TMC and ultimately Children's in Dallas. Blake's mother was unable to work due to the severity of his disease, so they lived with a single income. If Chey was not at work, he was not paid since at the time he was an hourly employee. He would work during the day and then drive to Children's and stay the night in order to be with his son. The expense of driving back and forth along with the bills they were responsible for put a burden on him in providing for his family. This is the driving force behind our foundation. We know how a single incident or medical issue can put a strain not only on the parents but the family as a whole. Children are very perceptive and can feel the stress of their parents even when the parents may try and hide it.

2022 was our first year to try and raise money to help individual families or different causes in our community that we were able to partner with. We were able to raise about $17,000 to help throughout the year. We also started a fishing tournament just for kids where we had prizes for each age group and only charged $5 per child in order to help cover some of the expenses we incurred. We really just wanted to have a kid friendly event that focused on children.
- We sponsored Denison Little League - $500
- We donated to CASA of Grayson County - $1,500
- Fishing Tournament Just for Kids - fun event
- Veteran's Suicide Awareness - $250
- Back to School Supply Drive - over 2,800 items purchased and donated to Denison, Sherman, Bells and Whitesboro ISDs to be distributed as the ISDs needs arose
- Family #1 - Father passed away in a motorcycle accident and the mother never worked - we bought school supplies, new school clothes, snacks for lunch and work scrubs for the mother was got a job as a CNA - $800
- Family #2 - mother needed help getting her son to Austin for a surgery and we provided gas cards to help with the expense - $300
- Family #3 - two teenage boys were removed from their home due to it being an unsafe environment, their foster family was not ready for the immediate need so we purchased new beds, mattresses and comforter sets - $1,100
- Family #4 - partners with Southside Saints Ministry to help pay for an attorney for a teenage boy that needed a court advocate to protect him for a bad situation - $420
- Family #5 - a father got in a accident while at work and has been unable to return to work, even though he received workers comp that is only a percent of his pay and the wife was a stay at home mother. We paid for their rent and utilities for a month - $1,500
- We also partnered with Hyde Park and Holly Murphy to have the kiddos participate in a canned food drive to give to the Salvation Army at Christmas. We gave the "winning" class a pizza party and in each grade the class that collected the most received a popsicle
- During Christmas time we also supported the below ministries to reach other families in our area
* Heart of Matter - $510
* Harley Davidson Bicycle Giveaway - $450
* CASA - $1,650
* Grayson County Advocacy Center - $550

2023 is our second year and we have been able to help the community even more.
- Family #1 - their house burned down and we were able to provide clothes and necessities to get them back on their feet - $1,500
- Veteran's Suicide Awareness - $250
- Fishing Tournament Just for Kids - fun event with prize giveaways
- Austin McCann Memorial Scholarship Fund - $250
- CAST for Cares Fishing Tournament (this is for kids with disabilities) - $500
- Wishing Well of Texoma - $1,000
- Family #2 - apartment burned down and we provided clothes and necessities for a mother and two teenage girls - $2,400
- Family #3 - paid for a funeral of a two year old boy that passed away - $1,010
- Family #4 - mother passed away unexpectedly and helped the father with some bills that were due - $2,500
- Family #5 - house fire and a few furniture items were needed for the kiddos - $250
- Family #6 - CASA partnership where a family needed a couple booster seats for the kiddos that they took in unexpectedly - $70
- Back to School Supply Event - we set up in both Sherman and Durant and allowed parents to come and get items that they needed. We did require that the children were present along with their supply list to make sure they were getting items that they needed for this year. The left-over supplies where then given to Savoy and Tom Bean ISDs. We were able purchase and give out over 5,300 items.

Our goal is to continue to grow and do more and more for those in need or partner with other organizations when needs arise that are unexpected. We will continue to host a fishing tournament just for kids so they can have fun. The goal is to just break even during this event. We never want to charge the families more than $5 per child to be able to participate. We also want to continue to help provide school supplies to families and children each year so that the burden to those that struggle is lessened with our help.