The BOCA TOY DRIVE Christmas Delivery from Diamonds by Raymond Lee

Christmas came early for the Boys and Girls Club of Boca Raton and Broward County, and the Boca Raton Fire Rescue Department who will be redistributing the toys to more kids, this past week. Through community engagement efforts, Diamonds by Raymond Lee’s Boca Toy Drive was a huge success.

The holiday spirits were high as armored trucks brimming with new toys reached the two Boys and Girls Clubs in South Florida.

Doors of the Boys and Girls Clubs flung open as kids ran to the scene, smiling from ear to ear, beyond excitement for this unexpected, early Christmas surprise.

“Santa Lee” and his helpers were standing at the gates, outside of their armored sled.

The doors of the unconventional Christmas vehicle were ajar, with presents nearly spilling out, ready to be claimed by happy children.

Toys of all shapes and sizes, such as action figures, dolls, puzzles, games, and books, met their new owners, the boys and girls of the Boys & Girls Club.

Each youngster received a gift or two, thanked the strikingly fresh Santa crew, then discussed with their friends about the toys they had just received.

Diamonds by Raymond Lee’s TOY DRIVE

We held a Toy Drive at our Diamonds and Donuts Boca Car Show on December 16th. So many people brought gifts for the toy drive, as you can see in the many pictures from the Diamonds and Donuts Car Show Recap.

In the true giving spirit of the holidays, many attendees brought more than one toy. Some even brought their cars full of new, unwrapped toys! It was amazing to see the spirit and generosity of our community and friends.

We personally brought hundreds of toys to our event too! We wanted to set the tone.

With everyone’s donation combined, the pile of toys was colossal. Thus, we thought it was the perfect time to bring out the armored truck…OR, as we like to call it this Christmas, the Armored Sled…This would be our delivery vehicle.

Our mission with the toy drive was to be able to provide at least one gift this holiday for every member of the Boys & Girls Club of Broward County and Boca Raton. Our thought was that by doing so, we could remove some of the burden that a lot of families feel during the special holiday season.

The Toy Drive was so successful that we achieved this goal, plus more. After our two stops at the Boys & Girls Clubs, we were able to deliver the remaining gifts, which were quite a lot, to the Fire Rescue of Boca Raton, so they could give the rest of toys out to more kids in the community.

Appreciation & Accolades

We want to thank everyone involved for making this all possible.

Thank you to the community of Palm Beach and Broward County for coming to our Diamonds and Donuts car show with toys for the kids, the Boys and Girls Club staff for helping us put all of this together, the Boca Fire Department who will be redistributing the rest of our toys to kids who may otherwise not receive any gifts during the holiday, and our team at Diamonds by Raymond Lee for working hard through the holiday season to make this Toy Drive a triumphant success.

Dropping off the TOYS in our ARMORED SLED

Combined with the toys given directly by us and the ones raised at our Boca car show, we had hundreds and hundreds of toys to give to the deserving children of our beloved South Florida community.

The toys bestowed by us and those that were donated during our Diamonds and Donuts car show were delivered by us personally using our Armored Truck this past Friday, just 5 days before Christmas. We provided gifts to all the members of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boca Raton and Broward County. It was a sight to behold. We lifted the holiday spirits even higher and reminded the community that ’tis the season to be jolly.

In fact, we had such a big collection of toys that we ended up having many toys leftover after our two stops to the Boys and Girls Clubs. So, we made a third stop on Sunday to the Boca Raton Fire Department on Federal Hwy, which is just down the street from our store.

First Stop: Boys and Girls Club of Boca Raton

It was the Boys and Girls Club of Boca Raton where we made our first stop. As our jewelry store is located in Boca Raton, we wanted to spread the merriness to our neighbors first.

About the Boys and Girls Club of Boca Raton

The Boys and Girls Club of Boca Raton is a branch of the Palm Beach County Boys and Girls Club, which was founded in 1971.

For the Boys and Girls Club of Boca Raton, it all started with the New Pines Outreach program, run by community police officers, an activities director, and local volunteers, in 1994. They constructed a massive building and courtyard, encompassing a total of 8,200 square ft. After reaching success by becoming a focal point of the community through services, support and care, in 2002, the New Pines Outreach approached the Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County with a merger proposal. After a 2 year transition, New Pines became the Boys & Girls Club of Boca Raton.

The Boys and Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County dedicates themselves to encouraging the education, vocational, health leadership and character of boys and girls in a secure, safe, and nurturing atmosphere. They offer numerous award-winning developmental programs that assist the youth of Palm Beach County in building skills, self-esteem and values at a time of critical mental and physical growth. Children at the Boys and Girls Club of Palm Beach County has thirteen locations throughout the county, serving over 8,000 kids ages six to eighteen.

Second Stop: Boys and Girls Club of Broward County

Our second stop was at the Boys & Girls Club of Broward County.

Everyone gathered in the atrium of the Boys and Girls Club for a group photograph, taken behind a quote that we can all live by, especially during the holiday seasons:

“Reality is wrong, dreams are for real” – Tupac

About the Boys & Girls Club of Broward County

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Broward County have been enabling the young people in their county to meet their greatest potential as productive, responsible, kind citizens since 1965. They provide world-class experiences at their club to ensure success is possible for all the children who blaze through their doors. They push every member to have the necessary goals and plans for the future. Through participation in leadership training and volunteering in community projects, members are able to demonstrate great character. Another awesome aspect of the Boys & Girls Club is the promotion of a healthy lifestyle through sports and activities.

Third Stop: Boca Raton Fire Department

Our third and final stop was the Boca Raton Fire Rescue Services Department Station Number 1. We reached out to them as they are right down the street from our jewelry retail store and they were happy to give out the toys to more kids in the community. They do a lot of public activity for the youth this time of the year.

Boca Raton Fire Rescue

The Boca Raton Fire Rescue Department’s mission is “to minimize the level of risk to life and property through the delivery of the highest quality emergency and non emergency services to the community.”

The department as a whole has 247 employees, 8 fire stations, and maintains 4 divisions.

The four divisions are:

• Operations
• Administration
• Logistics & Support
• Fire & Life Safety

The department administers comprehensive emergency and administrative services, which include: Fire Suppression, Fire Investigations, Fire Safety Inspections, Hazardous Materials Response, Fire & Emergency Medical Service Education, and Emergency Medical Services and Patient Transport.

The Boca Raton Fire Department carries an ISO Class 1 rating. This is the highest possible rating in the USA. They are absolutely on FIRE!

Furthermore, the Boca Raton Fire Rescue team is super innovative, using new rescue equipment like motorized surfboards to help with water rescues and 20-foot-long boats that can hold up to 1,500 pounds and can cut through the water like no other.

Our strongest support and appreciation goes out to the Police and Fire Rescue Department of Boca Raton.

The Boys & Girls Club Organization

The Boys and Girls Club’s vision for the next generation has allowed them to create an unprecedented non-profit for the youth, which has spread through the nation very successfully over the last few decades.

They help youth of all backgrounds develop through six core areas: character and leadership development; education and career development; health and life skills; the arts; sports and fitness; and technology. This has proven to turn children into responsible citizens and leaders when they become adults.

Activities the Boys & Girls Club provides members:

• Basketball
• Arts & crafts
• Character Education
• Health and Wellness
• Leadership Programs
• Daily inside and outside recreation
• Dance Classes
• Computer education
• Cultural Arts
• Photography
• Daily homework help
• FAU Art Classes
• Prevention programs
• STEAM programs
• Spring/Winter break camps

About us – Diamonds by Raymond Lee

Diamonds by Raymond Lee has been serving the South Florida area for over 30 years. Diamonds by Raymond Lee and Raymond Lee Jewelers (our first and original jewelry store, founded in 1983 and also located in Boca Raton), has over 20 employees. We carry an extensive collection of vintage jewelry, luxury timepieces, designer jewelry, GIA certified diamonds, and we are one of the largest estate jewelry buyers in the country. Additionally, we offer professional jewelry and watch repair services, trades, appraisals, and professional jewelry customizations.

Our company was built on family values, and not only have we been successful at the sales and service of elegant, timeless, luxury jewelry and watches, but also our dedicated mission of giving back to our community.

We’ve worked with the Boys and Girls Club on many occasions, benefitting the local clubs through our Diamonds and Donuts Boca Raton car show. Although Boys and Girls Club has been our main focus of contribution, as it really touches home for us, we’ve also raised and gave donations to Military Heroes, a non-profit organization that assists in supporting ongoing care for military veterans and their families, and a Local High School (Majory Stoneman Douglas) after an awful tragedy affected its members. We plan to continue to spread the charitable love through local events by raising awareness through the many activities we partake in here in South Florida.

Being part of a thriving community is essential to our company’s philosophy. Therefore, we do everything in our power to continuously help. Every month we hold a car show, as mentioned briefly above, called Diamonds and Donuts. The car show is not only an amazing time with tons of exotic cars and awesome people but also a way for us to spread awareness and raise contributions locally for the causes we care about. Furthermore, we do something no other jewelry store does. We do a jewelry giveaway at every event. This has proven to turn the sparkle up a notch for our charitable efforts.

We know a thriving community starts with the kids as they are our future. So, we have been giving that the strong effort this past year. We plan to continue on this path moving forward into 2019. The success of our community is also the success of our business. They go hand-in-hand. There is no facade at Diamonds by Raymond Lee, we pride ourselves on complete transparency.

Diamonds and Donuts Boca Raton Car Show

Diamonds and Donuts Car Show was created by us, Diamonds by Raymond Lee, back in April of 2017. And although it is a fairly new car show in South Florida, it has already made waves in the South Florida area for being one of the best car shows. Diamonds and Donuts is a monthly car show, held at our retail location in Boca Raton. Our parking lot becomes jam-packed with vehicles. Such as luxury, exotics, supercars, muscles cars and every other car Florida has to offer. All for the purpose of charity and having a good time.

Brands of cars you will see at Diamonds and Donuts:

• Lamborghini
• Ferrari
• McLaren
• Porsche
• Audi
• Corvette
• Dodge
• Aston Martin
• Rolls Royce

…and many, many more.

The car show is free to anyone and everyone, including those who want to park their cars on our lot. All we ask is that you make a reservation so we can prepare your parking space.

There’s a delicious BBQ, of which all the proceeds go to the local charity we are working with for the month (the majority of the time it’s the Boys and Girls Club).

We also have a live DJ, local vendors sharing their specialties, a jewelry giveaway, deliciously tantalizing snacks, coffee and, of course, DONUTS.

Diamonds and Supercars have such definitive similarities, both attracting attention with ease, so it is no wonder our car event is such a hit.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS From Diamonds by Raymond Lee

All in all, this toy drive wasn’t just special for the kids in our community, it was a great experience for us and those who helped make this happen, as there is nothing quite like the feeling of giving. We exceeded our expectation for our first toy drive ever, and we guarantee our Toy Drive next year will be even bigger as our reach continues to expand.

We want to wish everyone a happy holiday and we hope you are all relaxing, eating big, and enjoying time with your family and loved ones.

Merry Christmas!