Is there anywhere in town that I could drop off, I dont want to get on the roller coaster bus with a bunch of toys, and if I have to pay a taxi to the zone that comes out of the toy buyin' $$$. Thanks Also, when is the LAST good day to drop things off...so one might take advantage of any after Christmas shopping? (if there is such a thing in Cancun :roll: )
Thanks, Jen. I went by MY PLACE tonight and picked up the Toys...I had to unwrap them to see how they will be distributed, and they are really great! Thanks so much for thinking of MY KIDS! I also want to thank Molife4all for leaving toys at MY PLACE. We are just creating more and more smiles! When I went to pick up the TOYS in MY PLACE this evening, a local American fellow, Brian, overheard me telling some people about our Toy Dive. He handed me $2000 pesos and told me to go have fun in Walmart tomorrow buying toys for my kids. CAN YOU BELIEVE IT! What a guy! I really could not have done all of this if it hadn't been for all the help and support I have gotten from this website and the people in it. Thanks to you all!
I know Brian - he's a great guy and one of my buddies - spends a lot of time there playing pool no? I wanted to ask about second hand toys. As you know our daughter is two and at that age they grow out of toys fast. If I bring over some of her outgrown toys will that make me look cheap against all those people buying new stuff In any case, we'll be there Thursday for the press conference.
Sorry, only just noticed this. What I would recommend is you keep an accurate log of all donations in a Excel spreadsheet, send an acknowledgement for each financial donation e.g. "Thank you for your donation of XX$", keep track of any costs incurred. In the past I covered them from my own pocket but that's up to you. Deducting transaction costs you incur from a donation is not unethical. Then offer access to your records to a third party you trust to audit your spreadsheet and if necessary your incoming/outgoing emails. Keep all your receipts from the buying sprees. I am afraid it is sad but true that some people may be of the persuasion that "no good deed goes unpunished" you just need to have the ammo to counter any claims.
Yep, that's him! He really just knocked my socks off! And thanks for the information on how to keep tabs of the money. I will definately do that.
Sounds great!. Are there any incentives. Even if there aren't any I will still bring one down but an incentive would great. Especially for a first time visitor
Sure, you can bring the toy into MY PLACE and they will give you a free Kamikazi shot. Also, when you see the pictures of the children on the Internet after the distribution, you will know that one of those smiles belongs to you. What more of an incentive can there be?
The press conference regarding this project took place today at My Place, we were lucky enough to be invited along. Journalists from two local newspapers were in attendance and a press release was given in English and Spanish. Hopefully, there will be articles in the newspaper which will generate even more interest. Already, 55 toys have been collected and this will surely grow since there is still a long way to go before Christmas. Unfortunately, the toys that were on display around the Christmas tree were cleared away before I took a pic of them. Nancy, if you have any pics then please email them to me and I will post them. Here's a couple of pics we did get: I must admit I felt a little embarassed at the praise I personally received from the organisers, despite not really doing anything other than allowing publicity. To make up for this I am going to offer to take paypal donations from those who aren't able to deliver toys in person. The funds will be passed direct to the organisers to purchase toys with. I will cover all paypal transaction costs myself, so if you donate $10, $10 is what will be spent on toys. I'll keep a detailed spreadsheet and offer it for third party audit. Just as a reminder these toys that are being collected are not to supplement middle class kids Christmas Stockings, they will be given to kids in the far out regions and villages. In places such as these, that the tourist rarely sees, many kids have never even seen toys let alone owned them. Their toys are the sticks and rocks they find around and the things their parents craft for them from what they can. It doesn't matter whether it's $2, $5 or $100 everything helps and will be pooled together. We've done this before for a different charity at cancuncare with a great degree of success. Let's see what we can do this time. If you wish to contribute then please send your donation via paypal to steve@cancuncare.com marked as Toys for Smiles. I will look to making a new webpage over the next couple of days that will simplify donation arrangements.
You can drop toys at my place - that's my place as in our house not 'My Place' the bar. I'll make sure they get passed on to the right hands. Let me know if you want my address, we're in SM18 but I dont want to give the full address here.
Hey Steve...you have helped more than you know! You made this site a sticky and that brought us a lot of attention, as it has continued to do. Our drive couldn't be as successful without someone that would be dedicated...again, you :!: I have not really used Paypal before, but if it brings in more toys, I'm all for it! I appreciate your taking care of that. It's nice to know we can make things happen and we work with a great team. Thanks for helping! And I won't let you be so modest ...you and your wife, Janet, are the type of people that help! As soon as my daughter comes home, she can send you a photo of the Christmas Tree with the toys. I am SOOO NOT computer savvy, when it comes to digital camera things :roll: . I was stuck in the world of 35mm for too long. I have to start learning fast! :lol: Thanks again! and again and again!
