DECATUR, Ill. – In the spirit of the holiday season, Millikin University’s Office of Public Safety (MUPS) is sponsoring a Toys for Tots drive on campus for new, unwrapped toys.
Donation boxes are available in Shilling Hall (on the ground floor and outside the Business Office), on the first floor of the University Commons and by the MUPS offices in Walker Hall.
The boxes will be in place until Sunday, December 10th. Once the toys are collected by Toys for Tots, they are distributed to families in need across Decatur and Macon County.
“This is an amazing cause to help families across Decatur and Macon County. I was part of toy drives in recent positions I held, and upon coming to Millikin, I wanted to start a toy drive here,” MUPS Security Officer and Dispatcher Donald Wrigley said. “I contacted the local Toys for Tots representative and have had an ongoing relationship with them. In the past, we have had the Millikin chapter of Alpha Phi Omega assist us, and we look forward to working with anyone wanting to assist in this worthy cause in the future.”
Toys for Tots began in 1947 by Marine Corps Reserve Major Bill Hendricks and is run by the United States Marine Corps Reserve, which distributes toys to children whose parents cannot afford to buy them gifts for Christmas.
This year’s campaign is the second year that Public Safety has done a Toys for Tots drive. In 2021, MUPS donated toys to the WAND toy drive and was able to buy over 200 toys. In total, more than 400 toys have been collected since MUPS started collecting toys.
“With everything going on in our world and the cost of everyday products skyrocketing, it is amazing to see the willingness of our campus community to donate toys to children in our area,” Donald said. “This allows parents to put something under the tree for their children when they may not have had anything to open on Christmas morning.”
