Spark of Love

Spark of Love

Holiday Toy Drive
Nov. 23 through Dec. 24, 2007

For the past 15 years, firefighters from Ventura, L.A., Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino Counties have joined forces to collect toys for the Spark of Love Toy Drive. This campaign collects new, unwrapped toys and sports equipment for underserved children in our communities who may not otherwise receive Christmas presents. Toys collected in the respective counties are distributed locally within each city. With the assistance of the City of Ventura Fire Department, City staff, volunteers and local businesses, the City of Ventura collected over 8,000 toys in 2006.

New, unwrapped toys, games, and sports equipment can be dropped off at the following City of Ventura locations:

• Ventura City Fire Departments
  • Station 1 - 717 N. Ventura Ave.
  • Station 2 - 41 S. Seaward Ave.
  • Station 3 - 5838 Telegraph Rd.
  • Station 4 - 8303 Telephone Rd.
  • Station 5 - 4225 E. Main St.
  • Station 6 - 10797 Darling Rd.
• Police/Fire Headquarters - 1425 Dowell Dr.
• Police Storefronts
  • Montalvo Storefront - 6368 Bristol Rd.
  • Pacific View Mall Storefront - 3301 E. Main St.
  • Westside Storefront - 111 N. Olive St.
• City of Ventura Facilities
  • City Hall - 501 Poli St.
    • - Department of Treasure - Room 107
    • - Community Services Dept. - Room 226
  • City Hall North - 505 Poli St.
  • Maintenance Yard - 336 SanJon Rd.
  • Sanitation Plant - 1400 Spinnaker Dr.
  • Senior Recreation Center - 420 E. Santa Clara St.
  • Ventura Avenue Adult Center - 550 N. Ventura Dr.
• A Secret Place Salon & Day Spa - 394 E. Main St., Ste. B
• Accolades - 451 E. Main St.
• Adventures for Kids - 3457 Telegraph Rd.
• Bagel Rock Coffee - 2781 E. Main St.
• Bank of Books - 748 E. Main St.
• Bennettís - 2897 Johnson Dr.
• Coast Driveline & Gear - 2457 Palma Dr.
• Community Memorial Hospital - 147 North Brent St.
• Cumulus Broadcasting B95.1 - 1376 Walter St.
• Curves for Women - 7730 Telegraph Rd.
• CVS Drugstore - 5900 Telegraph Rd.
• Fast Signs - 3959 E. Main St.
• For Your Home - 454 E. Main St.
• Jaguar of Ventura - 3190 Perkins Ave.
• Jamba Juice - 4960 Telephone Rd. #106
• Java Joeís - 2950 Johnson Dr.
  • All customers who bring in a toy may receive a free small cup of coffee or 20% off their purchase.
• Juice on Chestnut - 27 S. Chestnut St.
• Maverickís Gym - 5171 Telegraph Rd.
• Michael Kelley Salon - 1895 E. Main St.
• Port-a-Stor - 330 W. Park Row Ave.
• Presto Pasta - 5722 Telephone Road, #106
• Simoneís - 7818 Telegraph Road
• The Greek Restaurant - 1583 Spinnaker Dr., #101
• The Wharf - 980 Front St.
• Ventura Chamber of Commerce - 801 S. Victoria Ave., Ste. 200
• Ventura Housing Authority - 995 Riverside St..
• Ventura Housing Authority - 11122 Snapdragon St., Ste. 100

Please be aware, we cannot accept recalled toys that contain lead.

Spark of Love cash and check donations can be brought to the City of Ventura Police & Fire Headquarters, Fire Department Administration Office, 1425 Dowell Drive, Mon - Fri, 8 am - 5 pm. A tax-deductible receipt is available. Please make checks payable to Children's Auxilary of Ventura County.

For more information, please call the Spark of Love hotline at (805) 677-3950.

2007 Spark of Love Frequently Asked Questions

How long will boxes be displayed?
From the day your box is delivered until December 25th.

What happens to the toys that arenít picked up before Christmas?
They are saved for next yearís toy drive.

What kinds of donations are accepted?
New, unwrapped toys or sports equipment, batteries, wrapping paper, tape, and gift tags. Gift cards and monetary donations can be made as well. To make a monetary donation which will be used to buy toys or sports equipment, people should call the hotline number or go to the City of Ventura website. Both are listed on the poster.

How are the children selected?
The Children's Auxiliary compiles a list of needy families in our community from 8 local agencies including: Project Understanding, Easter Seals, the Salvation Army, Coalition of Battered Women, Make-a-Wish, Catholic Charities. The children who receive the gifts are children who are economically disadvantaged, orphaned, burned, or disabled. All of the toys go to children in our community. In most cases, agencies have direct knowledge of family's needs.

How are toys matched to children?
In most cases, parents are given the opportunity to go to our warehouse and select 1 or 2 toys for each of their children. Approximately 25 special deliveries – children whose families have had a particularly tough year – are selected. In these cases, volunteers carefully select gifts and wrap them. The gifts are then delivered by a firetruck on Christmas Eve. Examples of "special cases" families: a child who had open heart surgery, a child whose mother died in a car accident shortly before the holidays, fire/burn victims, etc.

How many toys did we collect last year?
Approximately 8,000 in Ventura. Approximately 2,200 – 2,500 children in Ventura County experience a brighter Christmas because of this toy drive.

Where are the toys stored/kept?
In a large warehouse. This warehouse serves as a 'store' where parents can come and "shop" for their children.

Where can I get more information?
You can call the Spark of Love hotline at 677-3950 for more information.

The Spark of Love Toy Drive is run entirely by volunteers.