'Stuff the Batmobile Toy Drive' Has Good First Turnout

WORTH TOWNSHIP, IL — The “Stuff the Batmobile Toy Drive” had a great first turnout Saturday as area residents dropped off toys for Worth Township Youth Commission’s Christmas Cares program. Santa and the Grinch were on hand to adults and kids alike who dropped off unwrapped toys and posed for pictures in front of the Oak Lawn Batmobile. At the end of the day, the toy drive collected around 200 toys.

Worth Township Tr. Kelly Sexton-Kelly, who chairs the youth commission, said the toys will be distributed to families experiencing financial hardship.

“We try to get as much as we can to those families at Christmas,” Sexton-Kelly said. “This is an amazing thing for us to display this wonderful Batmobile and to have families come out and visit Santa.”

Demand has been high this holiday season, and Worth Township is still accepting toy donations for children ages 0-14. Especially needed are gifts for children in the 10 to 14 age range. Drop new, unwrapped toys off at Worth Township Center, 11601 S. Pulaski Road, Alsip, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

We’d like to thank the following people who helped make the toy drive a success:

Tom and Connie Repetny
Oak Lawn Batmobile Rental

Cook County Circuit Judge John J. Mahoney
(We’re sorry you missed Santa, he was asking about you)

Suburban Party Characters
(Thanks, Grinch)

Most of all, thanks to everyone who stopped by on Saturday afternoon to drop off toys. We enjoyed meeting you and your cute kids. Hope you had fun because we certainly did.

All donated toys will be distributed to local youngsters residing within Worth Township, including the communities of Oak Lawn, Evergreen Park, Alsip, Blue Island, Palos Heights, Chicago Ridge, Worth, Crestwood, Merrionette Park, Bridgeview, Hometown and Robbins.

We’ll do it again next year, same Bat-time, same Bat-channel.