Raceway Charity of Texoma, VAW partnership boosts Toys For Tots donations this holiday season

Steve Sprague wears a lot of hats. Not only is he the Vice President of the Gordonville Fire Department Auxiliary, he also runs Raceway Charity of Texoma (RCT), an organization that’s all about giving back. 

Through a series of connections, Sprague found his way to Keisha Head, founder of the Veterans Association of Whitesboro (VAW). The two organizations joined forces this holiday season to maximize community impact and chose Toys For Tots as their charity of choice.

While Toys For Tots was happy to have their involvement, especially since participation was lower this year than in the past, there wasn’t much being done specifically in the Whitesboro area. Sprague decided he would change that and do his best to handle local donations.

In addition to distributing donation boxes all over town at places like Holiday Chevrolet, Whataburger, Taco Casa, Golden Chick and 4U Credit Union, Sprague also held Toys for Tots “Fill the Box” events at various business locations around town.

With Raceway Charity of Texoma, Sprague uses his bright red, Chevy Camaro #8 pace car to attract attention and generate sponsorships for various benefits. This year, the car was used to help attract people to attend these “Fill the Box” events. People who donated a toy were in turn gifted a swag bag full of items Sprague had gathered from his pace car sponsors.

“That’s what this season is all about,” he said. “It’s all about giving back.”

By the time Toys For Tots donations were completed, RCT and the VAW had an abundance of toys collected from generous community members from Whitesboro and Pottsboro all the way to the Sherman/Denison area.

In fact, they had collected so many items that Toys For Tots asked them to help find families to gift some of the donations. Sprague worked with local businesses and community connections to find families in the area who were struggling and who could benefit from such a donation.

“I don’t think people realize how much work it takes to run an organization that gives back to the community,” Sprague said. 

But when the community shows up to support the efforts of those who are trying to make an impact, it makes all of the effort worthwhile. Thanks to the work of people like Sprague and Head, and organizations like Raceway Charity of Texoma and the Veterans Association of Whitesboro, local families were able to enjoy a happy, memorable holiday season.