When Doc and I started the show, we talked about how we wanted it run and what we wanted it to be. The one thing we both agreed on was to make sure we were involved in the community. So, Doc mentioned that they had a program at the radio station that he came from. This program helped the community and everyone got involved. We decided to bring that type of program here. The thing we wanted to do was make sure that we helped kids in our community. The first thing we did was to have a toy drive. We would go on the air and ask people to bring toys to the radio station. At this point and time, the radio station was in Altamonte Springs across the street from the Hilton. We asked the build's management if we could use the vacant space next door. It was an actual warehouse. I remember walking in and there were boards with rusty nail sticking up all over the floor. I kept thinking that I was going to fall on the nails or walking on one by mistake. Back then the whole organization was run by me, Doc and any Intern we had at the time.
In the beginning, to get help, you had to write us a handwritten letter. The first year we did it, we only took 50 letters. We weren't getting a lot of toys either. We would broadcast on street corners or anywhere we thought we could collect a toy. I remember doing a four-hour broadcast and only collecting a couple of teddy bears. Then one morning we decided to read one of the letters on the air. We felt that if people would hear where their donated toys were going, they would want to donate.
It was crazy back then. Whenever someone would come to the Toy Warehouse, either me or Doc would stop everything we were doing and go and help them. We went back and forth until we were done. It took a couple of days, but we helped those 50 families.
I knew we were doing the right thing when something beautiful happen. I was inside the warehouse and in walks pregnant mother who had lost everything because the baby's father just left. She didn't have anything for new baby. She was living a friend and the baby was due at any time. I l left her alone to shop. When I was walking over to the warehouse to check on the mother that was picking up a few things, another woman stopped me. She explained to me that she recently had a miscarriage and she wanted to donate EVERYTHING that her and her husband bought for their baby. She heard us on the air and wanted to donate it to our new Baby DJ program. I let her know that I had the perfect person for her donation. I took her to the warehouse and introduced her to the pregnant mother. The two ladies began to talk and I left the warehouse again. I came back 15 minutes later and the two women were hugging each other and crying. The one woman was crying because she was able to help the struggling, single, soon to be mother. The soon to be mother was crying because she was able to get everything she needed for her baby and more. She came in just looking for baby toys and left with so much. I was crying because I was witnessing something truly amazing. It was a true miracle that these two women were at the warehouse at the exact time and they both needed this each other. The mother who lost her baby was now at peace with everything and you see and feel it. They exchanged numbers and I know they stayed in touch. At that moment, I knew this was something we were going to do as long as I was on the air. The feeling that you get knowing that you helped a family with children that just hit a bump in the road. To me it just about helping people get over that bump and continue on with their productive lives. Every now and then we can all use help from a friend and I always wanted my Baby DJ program to be that friend.
Thank you for allowing us to help families all over Central Florida with your donations to our Baby DJ program. We couldn't do it without you. #Blessed
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