PSYCHIC INCOME…. that’s what you call the great feeling inside created when you help others. And that’s exactly the feeling that came from yet another fabulous team effort as groups worked together to provide toys for homeless and at-risk children from throughout Miami-Dade County as well as for the children of local active military families.
With gratitude to Melissa Doktofsky, Founder & CEO of Toys of Hope in New York who donated almost 400 toys and to Jay Joel, International Warehouse Group in New York, for transporting them from New York to Aventura, despite the major snowstorm in North Carolina; to Anabel Llopis, Sr. Director of Sales & Marketing and her incredible team from the Aventura Mall for providing everything from the Aventura Mall’s beautiful event space to gifts and volunteers; to Lisa Blair, Debbie Boumans and Tina Varjabedian of Miami-Dade Family Learning Partnership who brought in hundreds of books; to Brandon Stein, STEINLAW, Chairman of the Aventura Marketing Council/Chamber of Commerce’s Aventura Young Professionals who helped organize the event and bring in volunteers as well as the talented Young Star singer, Cameron Wheeler to provide holiday music and donate to Toys of Hope so they may continue on their important work; to Lisa Rectenwald from John Hardy in the Aventura Mall for donating boxes full of wrapping paper, tape and scissors; to Anthony Damato, Toyota of North Miami VIP Sales, who whipped out his checkbook as soon as he heard what the project was; …and to so many others who created a morning that was bursting with ‘psychic income’. Volunteers wearing Santa hats sorted and wrapped non-stop for almost three hours without a break, and always with a smile! And it all stems from Aventura’s own Billy and Sandra Joel, parents of Jay Joel, who have passed on to their children their legacy of always helping others less fortunate. This is now the second time that these groups have been fortunate enough to work with Toys of Hope and International Warehouse Group on, with the first time this past October when they donated 400 baby car seats for low-income families.
Peter Caspari and Rebecca Heinl, Dept. of Defense, Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, were there to take the wrapped toys and books to the families of our active military so their children will have gifts under their Christmas tree.
