Chautauqua Institution is pleased to support the 2018 Chautauqua County Toys for Tots campaign, led by our neighbors at The Resource Center in Jamestown. Chautauquans and visitors to the grounds are encouraged to drop off unwrapped children’s toys at the Chautauqua Bookstore (9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily) or the Colonnade lobby (9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays; 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Winter Village weekends).

Additional opportunities to support Toys for Tots include the “Teddy Bear Toss” on Friday, Dec. 7, at Northwest Arena, with fans encouraged to throw teddy bears onto the ice after the Jamestown Rebels score their first goal (the bears will be donated to Toys for Tots). The Resource Center will also host a Holiday Shopping Extravaganza at 200 Dunham Avenue in Saturday, Dec. 8; proceeds from the event will go to Toys for Tots.

Cash donations also are welcome, as the money is used to buy gifts for children in age groups that typically do not receive many toy donations. You may also donate by mailing a check (made payable to Toys for Tots) to The Resource Center, 200 Dunham Avenue, Jamestown, NY, 14701.

Begun in 1947, the Marine Toys for Tots campaign seeks to deliver a message of hope to less-fortunate children throughout the United States by providing them with toys for Christmas. More than 700 toy drives are held nationwide each year. The Resource Center has led the local toy drive since 2001. About 2,400 usually are supported through the annual toy drive, and last year more than 2,600 Chautauqua County children received gifts. 

Updates on the toy drive, including the dates of fundraising events and a list of businesses where collection boxes are located, can be found by visiting the Chautauqua County, New York – Toys for Tots 2018 Facebook page.