Kenny Rogers is teaming up with the Bergen Performing Arts Center and the Englewood Fire Department in Englewood, NJ, with the help of sponsors Fisher-Price and Mattel, to collect toys this holiday season for children in need. Always an important event in the community, the annual holiday toy drive will carry special significance this year taking into account the devastation Hurricane Sandy caused throughout the state of New Jersey.
Rogers, who brings his 23-city Christmas and Hits Tour with special guest Billy Dean to the bergenPAC on Dec. 19, will match monetary donations up to $10,000 to purchase toys for the drive. In addition, Fisher-Price has generously donated 200 toys, and Mattel is offering a special discount on toys purchased with monetary donations raised during the drive, assuring that every donation received will go even further.
Donations to the toy drive can be made in three ways:
1) Monetary donations sent to the bergenPAC in advance. Checks should be made out to: Bergen Performing Arts Center and must include TOY DRIVE in the memo of the check. The mailing address is: Bergen Performing Arts Center - Attn. TOY DRIVE - 30 North Van Brunt Street - Englewood, NJ 07631.
2) Monetary donations collected the night of Rogers’ concert. Cash, checks and credit cards accepted. Checks should be made out to: Bergen Performing Arts Center and must include TOY DRIVE in the memo of the check.
3) New, unwrapped toys will be collected at bergenPAC on the night of Rogers’ concert.
Members of the Englewood Fire Department and bergenPAC representatives will be at Rogers’ performance to collect toys and monetary donations. Englewood firefighters will volunteer their time to deliver toys to area children in need prior to Christmas, in conjunction with bergenPAC, a not-for-profit 501 (c)(3) organization.
“What really breaks my heart is to think of all the kids in the community without toys this Christmas. That should never happen. I realized there was something I could do about that when I come to perform in Englewood."
Toys are being collected for the toy drive at all upcoming bergenPAC concert events during the month of December up through Rogers’ show on Dec. 19th.
For more information on the toy drive collection, please contact 201-816-8160 x16.
Tickets for Rogers’ Dec. 19 performance at Bergen Performing Arts Center at 8 p.m. are available at Ticketmaster.com or bergenPAC.org or by calling the box office at 201-227-1030.
