Christmas cheer TOY DRIVE HELPS MAKE HOLIDAYS BRIGHTER FOR AREA CHILDREN
BY LISA SAVAGE
Ardmore Telephone Company collects toys at their office each year to be donated to the Ardmore Police Department’s toy drive.
T
he little boy had one thing on his Christmas wishlist — a Bible. “He didn’t ask for anything else,” says Tammy Posey, one of the coordinators for the Ardmore Police Department’s annual Christmas toy drive. Another child wanted socks and underwear. “They didn’t ask for anything specific other than things they really needed,” Posey says. “It really tugs at your heart.” Those requests motivate the police department personnel as well as businesses and individuals in the community to provide a little extra help for the children who need it at Christmas. “We have the support of the community, and that helps so much,” Posey says. The police department has sponsored the toy drive for several years, but this is the third year that Posey, the wife of Ardmore Police Lt. David Posey, and Brittney Mills, a dispatcher for the department, have worked together to coordinate the drive. Posey and Mills have assistance and support from Police Chief Jimmy Kennedy and other officers from the department. Several businesses also support the drive, giving monetary donations and items to help the department get gifts to as many kids as possible.
A GROWING NEED The program provided Christmas presents for about 55 children in 2018. “We had a lot more applications last year than we’ve ever had before,” Mills says. This year’s applications, which go to the local schools and also can be picked up at the police department, became available Oct. 1 and are due by Nov. 23. Applicants must be a resident of Limestone, Giles or Lincoln counties. 12 | November/December 2019
Ardmore Telephone Company
