TOYBOX IS OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Budgets stretched to the limit by job loss, illness and everyday life can't always generate even a few spare dollars for presents at Christmas.

But Toybox will make a big difference for those children whose families can't afford Christmas this year. The Cape Girardeau Jaycees and the Southeast Missourian sponsor the toy drive to benefit Cape Girardeau children up to age 12.

A woman requested a race car for her 9-year-old son, adding the boy's grandfather, who had been "a special Dad" to the boy, died in October.

She said her son "doesn't fully understand the situation, but knows that this Christmas will mean no presents unless the Toybox Santa comes to visit."

The mother of a 9-year-old girl with Down Syndrome says her daughter would like a baby doll or "anything musical."

Hard times get harder at Christmas, said Kim McDowell, coordinator of the Toybox program for the Southeast Missourian.

"This is a wonderful way for the community to give in a very special area of the community, and it's a wonderful way for the children to feel they are loved," she said.

Applications for free toys can be filled out at the Salvation Army, 701 Good Hope, until Dec. 8. No late applications will be accepted, and parents are urged to come in early so applications can be processed in time for Christmas. All applications must include children's Social Security numbers.

To donate to Toybox, drop off new, unwrapped toys at any of the following locations: Boatmen's Bank, Capital Bank, Coldwell Banker, Gulliver's Travels, Commerce Bank, Mercantile Bank, First National Bank, Chuck E. Cheese's, West Park Mall or the Southeast Missourian.

Gifts and donations may be sent to the Toybox Trust, P.O. Box 4, Cape Girardeau, Mo., 63702-0004.