Announcement from Mix 96.5:
(Asheville, NC) – He’s a 9-year old boy whose only wish is for “a good Christmas”. She’s a little girl who is only asking Santa to bring her real Play Doh. Children like these are the reason Tammy and Dex, Morning Show hosts on Mix 96.5 (WOXL), are spending the week outdoors.
The morning show duo is “Camping for Kids” on the front lawn of the radio station located at 1190 Patton Avenue and are pledging to be there around the clock until 5pm Friday evening. It’s a marathon toy drive intended to make Christmas wishes, large and small, a reality for area children in foster care and shelters.
When asked why they would hold the toy drive outside for five days, Tammy and Dex said “so many of these children have done without for much of their lives. The least we can do is give up some comfort to raise awareness about their situation and to help make this a better Christmas for them.”
The toys and donations generated from the Camping for Kids toy drive will benefit children in local shelters and foster care programs like Caring for Children.
“Most children come to us with a little brown bag or trash bag that has everything they own in it,” Caring for Children’s Renaye Owen said of foster children. “This year, I’ve had to pick up children at the hospital that didn’t have any clothes at all.”
Yet despite their circumstances, these children are like their peers when it comes to wanting gifts under the Christmas tree on Christmas morning. “It’s huge,” Owen said. “That brings that normalcy to them that they may not ever have had.”
Basketballs, Barbies, Hot Wheels and Legos are among the most popular wishes. Toy donations may be dropped off with Tammy & Dex at 1190 Patton Avenue, at Massage Envy at 1863 Hendersonville Road and at Frog Level Brewing, 56 Commerce Street in Waynesville. For more details on the toy drive, contact Mix 96.5 Program Director Neal Sharpe at 259-9695 or NSharpe@avlradio.com.
About Mix 96.5:
Mix 96.5 is part of Asheville Radio Group – Western North Carolina’s leading radio advertising company, reaching thousands of listeners every week on the world-class radio stations of Mix 96.5, 105.9 The Mountain, 98.1 the RIVER and ESPN Radio 1310 & 970.
Before you comment
The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.