MARION, IL (WSIL) � At the end of this month, Camping World in Marion will close for good. That closing falls in the middle of one of their biggest community fundraisers, leaving organizers wondering what to do.
"They'll make sure they have the best Christmas that they can have -- being in the hospital,� said Camping World customer service representative Darlene Hutton.
It's safe to say, nobody wants to be in the hospital for Christmas, especially if you're a kid. But the employees of Camping World in Marion hope to put smiles on those kids' faces during the holidays.
"What we've been doing for the last seven years is we collect toys for children's hospital for all the kids who can't come home for Christmas,� said Hutton.
And in those seven years, thousands of toys have gone to good boys and girls at the Children’s Hospital in St. Lous. But this year, a decision to close the store for good on Oct. 27 is leaving employees worried there won't be as many toys to go around.
"We want to make sure they have a wonderful Christmas,� Hutton said.
Last year more than 21 hundred toys were handed out and according to Hutton, they're not quite halfway to that number this year.
"We have over 1,000 toys here right now,� Hutton explained. “We need to get to them and what I'm trying to do is get as many toys here as we can."
In a normal year, the store would have plenty more time to meet or exceed that number. But since the store is closing more than a month and a half shy of its expected delivery date that's leaving the employees reaching out to others to help collect as many toys as possible.
"A lot of these places have been collecting toys for us and helping us the last five or six years,� said Hutton.
You can find drop-off locations locally in Marion at Perfect Posh and Granny Puckett's as well as a pair of spots in Benton at Denim and Grace Boutique and Lolli's in Benton.
I just want them to know how much I appreciate them and what they've done for these kids.
Hutton also says she wants to say thank you to all those who generously gave to the toy drive and she hopes this year's will be one of their most successful time giving back.
"There is no place [like] Southern Illinois has the biggest heart of anyone I know. They have the biggest hearts the biggest hearts.�
