Santa Moose and His Helpers Visit Ronald McDonald House
Toys for Kids Gala Raises Over $400,000 for Children in Need
Rick’s Toys for Kids Goes Shopping
Santa Moose, and his merry band of helpers (Rick Rizzs, Kyle Lewis and Julio Cruz), paid a visit to Seattle’s Ronald McDonald House to spread some holiday cheer.
The kids playfully pawed at the big, furry guy in the red suit, posed for photos, got autographs and a tote bag filled with Mariners goodies.
According to Ronald McDonald House Executive Director Diana Finnerty, there are 80 families at the house right now, mostly from the Northwest. Some of the families, she says, have been there for 10 months or longer, so distractions like this visit are always welcome.
Also a hit this time of year are the gifts Rick’s Toys for Kids donates to the house. Finnerty says several hundred different items, from games, dolls, trucks and stuffed animals, will be available to parents to “shop” for their kids, free of charge.
For many of them, away from home, tending to a family member’s illness, finding the time and extra money to buy holiday gifts is not very high on their list of priorities.
Toys for Kids, the nonprofit that Rick Rizzs and Dave Henderson started over 20 years ago, buys gifts for children in the Seattle area who might not otherwise have a happy holiday season. Along with the present room, Toys for Kids also provides Ronald McDonald House with new interactive items for the playroom like kid-powered cars to zoom around on, kid-sized kitchen appliances, and this year’s big hit, a Little Tykes play food truck.
Overall this holiday season, Toys for Kids will provide gifts for some 10,000 children in the greater Seattle area.
