Golf tourney generates Toys for Tots

Joe Kitchen returned to Suffolk last week to participate in the annual Toys for Tots golf tournament at Suffolk Golf Course that he first helped organize four years ago and was pleased to see that the tradition did not die with his move to Myrtle Beach, S.C.

“Rick (Crain) and John (Bonds Jr.), who now work at the golf course, they took it and ran with it,” said Kitchen, a former manager at the golf course. “I think they’ve done a really good job. I’m very pleased with the turnout and everything.”

Crain confirmed that 64 golfers participated this year, and they did not forget to bring toys.

Kitchen was initially concerned when he arrived on Dec. 4, the day before the tournament, to find hardly any toys in the box at the golf course, but that quickly changed the next day.

“Saturday morning, people were bringing bags of toys,” Kitchen said. “They really came out and made it a success.”

Margie Wiley, a coordinator for Suffolk’s Toys for Tots program, said the total number of toys donated through the tournament ranged from 150 to 200.

“It’s amazing how generous 64 golfers can be,” she said. Though Toys for Tots partners with the golf course for the event, “Suffolk Golf Course puts it all together, and they do a tremendous job.”

Eddie Luke, PGA Professional for Suffolk Golf Course, was happy to see the number of teams participating in the tournament grow from 15 last year to 17.

“It’s just kind of inched its way up the last couple of years,” he said.

And when it comes to donating toys, Luke noted one of the big things participating golfers appreciate is “the fact that the toys stay local, that they don’t get shipped out” nationally.

The idea for the tournament originated with Luke, who saw it as an opportunity to give back to the community.

“I kind of mentioned it to Joe, and he ran with it,” Luke said.

Kitchen had a significant motivation that stemmed from his childhood.

“Children should wake up to have something on Christmas — a toy,” Kitchen said. “I grew up dirt poor in North Carolina, and my mom made sure we had a little something, and she raised five kids by herself, and she worked two jobs.”

He praised the community for its support in helping him bring Luke’s idea to life.

“We can have the best ideas in the world, and without the support of the community, it’s not going to happen,” he said.

Wiley, relaying information she received from the Salvation Army on giving within the city of Suffolk, said, “So far this year, we’ve collected just over 1,200 toys, and we are still in the process of collecting additional toys.”

For those interested, one way to support Toys for Tots is through a donation to the Suffolk News-Herald Cheer Fund, which buys toys to be distributed through Toys for Tots.

Donations to the Cheer Fund are printed in the Suffolk News-Herald and can be made in honor of or in memory of a loved one. The donor can be listed anonymously if he chooses. The donor can also have his photograph taken giving the check to be published in the newspaper.

Donations for the Cheer Fund are accepted year-round.

To give, write a check payable to the Cheer Fund and mail it to P.O. Box 1220, Suffolk, VA 23439, or stop by our office at 130 S. Saratoga St. Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.