February 12, 2025 • 19 mins
Toys For Pittsburgh Tikes Annual Gala is Saturday, April 5th at Stratigos Banquet Center in North Huntingdon. Get tickets today at https://www.toysforpittsburghtikesevents.com/
Helping children in the Greater Pittsburgh area by giving "New" toys, books, and premium play items during the festive season and throughout the year!
Helping children in the Greater Pittsburgh area by giving "New" toys, books, and premium play items during the festive season and throughout the year!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
And welcome in. This is the CEO's Used to Know Podcast.
I'm your host, Johnny Hartwell, let's say hello again to
Javid Toys for Pittsburgh takes. Good to see you again.
How are you, John?
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Thanks for having a journey. I appreciate it. Doing well.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
All right, So you have so much going on, got
a brand new relationship with the Pittsburgh Steelers. I know
your organization is looking for a warehouse and if anybody
can help out, make sure you check out the you
know what you can do with the with the organization.
But you have a gala coming up on April fifth.
Tell us everything we need to know.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Sure, gla.
Speaker 3 (00:35):
This is our second annual GILA is on Saturday, April fifth.
It says it Stragos in Irwin, North Honington area. That's
one of our major fundraiser. We're looking for sponsors. Folks
can go on our website Toys for Pittsburgh Tykes dot com,
purchase tickets, become a sponsor and help us raise money
(00:57):
for our organization.
Speaker 1 (00:58):
All right, So the money that's used for the galo,
what does it use for?
Speaker 3 (01:02):
So it goes Obviously this is a nonprofit organization. Nobody
ever takes a dime out of the organization. We purchase
toys at the discounted right pretty much in instead of Pennsylvania.
We shop around for the best deal. In fact, we
have a delivery coming in today. Then we're also a
(01:23):
good chunk of it. Right now, our focus for a warehouse,
we like to have a warehouse pretty soon. Where we're
at is being donated up to May, and after May
we were kind of getting kicked out and we've got
to find a new home for us and this is
our third time.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
How big of a warehouse are you looking at?
Speaker 3 (01:42):
Well, our minimum requirement is ten thousand. We're hoping to
get anywhere from fifteen to twenty because how fast our
organization has grown. And we deal with a lot of
bicycles for the children of Pittsburgh and they require a
lot of work, a lot of this and blink and
the storage. So that's why we need a kind of
(02:04):
a good size warehouse to store all that.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
Now this sounds like a full time job.
Speaker 3 (02:08):
It is a full time job, it really is. But
I have a ton of great people on a board
with We have a board of trustees, we have a
CPA firm that helps us, and we have easy forty
people that sit on a board and help us on
different avenue of this organization.
Speaker 1 (02:26):
Now, what do you do normally through the week.
Speaker 3 (02:29):
I believe it or not, almost thirty percent of my
week week weekly time is a spend with toys for
Pittsburgh Time.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
Yeah, you're you are so modest. I want I want
you to. I think your catering service deserves to be recognized.
Tell us about that.
Speaker 3 (02:46):
Come on, I owe Jaden's catering Menovo been there for
thirty five years and we I wish I either chicken farm
right now and have eggs for right But yeah, yeah,
it's a very demanding job. And basically I'm an owner
operator and we've been around a long time. And then
(03:08):
I I did toys for Pittsburgh Takes and also founder
of a Greater Pittsburgh organization. It's a networking organization for
all the business professions.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
How did you get into the catering business.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
I used to work and this is going back a
long time ago. I don't know if some of your
listeners remembered that or not, but Rax Roast Beef, which
was a kind of a type constant. I was the
regional director for RAS and I managed the entire state
of Pennsylvania, half of West Virginia, parts of Maryland, and
(03:46):
then I traveled a lot. I managed seventy eight stores,
two thirds with franchise and some company. Unfortunately, the company
got sold to City Corps when I was around, and
they caught back and they didn't fill they needed local management,
and that's when I lost my job.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
And I just had a bad taste working for cooperation.
Speaker 3 (04:10):
So I started a diner used to be Scottish diner
and started the catering business.
Speaker 1 (04:16):
And that's where the catering isn't. Oh yes, So what
made you segue into Pittsburgh, Tykes? How did that happen?
Speaker 3 (04:27):
So I started a networking organization now it's going back
about thirty years ago. It was made out of all
the local businesses, only one category. So there was only
one banker, one caterer, one haircut one painter. So we
met every Wednesday. We still need every Wednesa's seven o'clock
(04:50):
at my place. And we exchanged referral. So if I
know Johnny Harporal needs a painting done at his house,
I refer somebody from the group. And that group is
started with five people. It was only five of US
thirty to be exact, thirty three years ago. Now we
grew to biggest one in Pittsburgh. We have over seventy
two members and we meet every Wednesday.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
And so way back twelve thirteen years.
Speaker 3 (05:18):
Ago, we decided to give back to local community because
they were supporting us.
Speaker 2 (05:24):
So our propose.
Speaker 3 (05:27):
Giving back to communitee by giving toys to one of
the well known organizations in the city. We did that
for two years. Long story short, we didn't like how
it was handled. We didn't like where the toys was going.
It wasn't going to local children. That was our intention,
that was our goal. So I said, we're gonna do
(05:49):
our own We're gonna start our own organization. We're gonna
collect toys locally and we're going to give it literally
handed to local people. And started with Children Hospital and
Beverly Birthdays. That was our first two organizations that we
focused on. And I actually happened to grab this on
(06:12):
the way to here. These are three pages of organization
that we just this November December we have helped out.
It's over thirty forty nonprofit, all kids oriented, all local.
Speaker 1 (06:31):
Yeah, this is like there's there's four pages of organizations yeah.
Speaker 3 (06:36):
We donated every one of those and we are truthfully
we are the biggest one in Pittsburgh and we donate
our hundreds of thousands.
Speaker 1 (06:47):
Of oh yeah yeah yeah, the one organization eighteen hundred
to two thousand toys, two hundred and seventy toys, one
hundred and fifty toys, eighteen hundred toys, two boxes. Wow.
Speaker 2 (06:59):
Yeah yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
So logistically it's not just collecting toys. You found organizations
that need toys and you delivered to those organizations.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
Very very accurate.
Speaker 3 (07:12):
The statement we do their reach out To this day,
I'm proud to say I can sit here and tell.
Speaker 2 (07:18):
You that we have never turned anybody done.
Speaker 3 (07:21):
Even it gets very challenging to come up with toys
every year.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
But.
Speaker 3 (07:27):
The Gala and the golfinding help us to raise money
so we can purchase toys. We went from a cardboard
box twelve years ago. Now we have box strucks, we
have trailers. We are just extremely busy collecting, sorting all
year long. It's not just holidays. Folks think we just
(07:49):
do this and holidays.
Speaker 2 (07:51):
It's not.
Speaker 3 (07:52):
Actually, we do it all year long anywhere we see it.
Two years ago, we saw a deal on by cycles
in Harrisburg for thirteen dollars a bike, so we paid
somebody to go get them. We come back with one
hundred and fifty eight bikes at thirteen dollars a bike.
So and that was a big, big deal for us.
Speaker 1 (08:12):
And obviously those bikes are going to probably be used
in the summertime.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
We're gone with yes once like is usually our number
one request, all.
Speaker 1 (08:20):
Right, So it always goes back to the warehouse. The warehouse.
You know, you start with the box, now your warehouse,
and you need another warehouse. And I can feel the frustration.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
Yeah, we do. We are I personally have been looking for.
Speaker 3 (08:36):
Warehouse anywhere minimum ten thousand score for hopefully to twenty thousand.
Because this is our third move on a warehouse. We
were fortunate enough we have been donated the warehouse space
from different folks. And the place, the current place we're in,
they're getting ready to start a construction in May. We're
(09:00):
pretty much got to get get out of there and
find and we are to the point that we need
our own warehouse so we can basically manage it. Lucky
he's supposed to be. This is becoming a corporation. We
need to be organized, we need to have our docks
in a row and be ready to go. So that's
(09:21):
the goal we are and we also expanded our organization.
We are trying to get kids in there to teach them.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
The art of giving.
Speaker 3 (09:29):
Not only we are giving the local children toys, but
we're also inviting some children to come to our warehouse
to actually sort them and give it to the local
community and hopefully that will be the generation that is
going to carry this program in the future. We also
expanded to sports gloves hats and with a new addition
(09:53):
to our organization Coons Foundation, Christian cons from Steelers, we
are hopefully to focus on that a little bit more
on sports and getting kids out now.
Speaker 1 (10:04):
And Christian is going to be the host for the
for the Gay.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
Christian will be there all night. Uh Is.
Speaker 3 (10:09):
I'm not paying him for donation because I give him
a lot of toys this year. So he's a fantastic
human being. Very proud of meeting him and his wife, Heather.
Their their heart is in City of Pittsburgh. They do
a lot. Coons Foundation does a lot for City of
Pittsburgh and we are proud to be a partner with them.
Speaker 1 (10:32):
How did you How did you partner with that.
Speaker 2 (10:34):
It was actually just our name.
Speaker 3 (10:37):
They reached out because they found out about us and
they're like what we do? They they saw the exposure
that we have in city of Pittsburgh and how far
we go and how much we help the local children,
and and our program wasn't just toys. We like I said,
we do educational stuff. We do sports, uh very little
(10:59):
in as gloves, scarfs, stuff like that.
Speaker 2 (11:03):
We do some of that. And so it really has
grown to become.
Speaker 3 (11:07):
A focus for local community, local children every step from
a newborn all over to eighteen.
Speaker 1 (11:17):
Tell us about your partnership with law enforcement and how
did that come about?
Speaker 2 (11:22):
Law enforcement?
Speaker 3 (11:23):
We are obviously the biggest partner. Our logo pretty much
says it all. That's why we're a big supporter of
police departments.
Speaker 2 (11:33):
Throughout the Pittsburgh.
Speaker 3 (11:35):
How that came about was we partner up with them
because we felt that we needed to close the bridge
between the community and.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
The police department.
Speaker 3 (11:46):
We wanted to kind of decrease the bad rap and
bring the organ because I saw both sides of it
and both done excellent job, and I just needed to
bring them together. And it started locally with minorabal marriage
well Swiss World, Braddy. Now we do all of them.
We pretty much this year, I think with the forty
(12:10):
three police station, and there is many many great police
chiefs that either the attend to our warehouse that pick
what they want for their community, or we deliver it
tom and they handed that to them and that has grown.
Speaker 2 (12:26):
Our biggest thing with the police departments. Or we do a.
Speaker 3 (12:31):
Drive drive by in Woodland High School that consists of five.
Speaker 2 (12:37):
Different police stations. We go through about from eleven to
one once a year.
Speaker 3 (12:42):
We call it Blue Santa, and we go through about
two hundred and fifty cars and we do but twenty
nine pallets of toys during that two hours. We have
about sixty two people helping us. So it's a big, big,
big to do. It was actually Channel wanted this story
uh on us this year. Channel eleven did one last year,
(13:04):
so so it's it's huge and you could see the difference.
Speaker 2 (13:09):
It makes me.
Speaker 3 (13:09):
Proud to see the police hand to hand work with
their community and and bring the good to their to
their community.
Speaker 1 (13:17):
Blue Center. You have a nickname of Pittsburgh Santa. Yes,
do you like me to call that?
Speaker 2 (13:23):
I do?
Speaker 3 (13:24):
But you know, honestly, the credit goes to all the
people behind me.
Speaker 2 (13:28):
I just drive this train. You know, I got a
ton of people behind me, and.
Speaker 1 (13:33):
Train shouldn't shouldn't say to be driving a sleigh for you.
You need, you need, you need something needs, something bigger
than a slave is getting out away.
Speaker 2 (13:43):
It is really getting that way. It's getting really big.
Speaker 3 (13:46):
But it's a good problem. I kept telling my board
is a growing pain. So uh, we just manage it.
We didn't think were we needed the warehouse five years ago.
Speaker 2 (13:56):
Here we are. We need the wear house.
Speaker 1 (13:58):
Tell us about your team.
Speaker 2 (14:00):
So I have I have five trustees. They're awesome.
Speaker 3 (14:08):
One of them is my first trustee is Greg Freeney,
the owner and founder of Elite Limousine and Coach are
the biggest lemonsine company in Pittsburgh. Then I have Davis
and Davis Associate. They are a CPA firm. To make
sure I'm all legal, make sure I'm kosher, make sure
we're spending the money properly, make sure nobody's pocketing any money.
(14:32):
We follow all the five of one rules and uh uh.
He is my second one. Then one of our newest
trustees for the last two three years. Pretty much my
right hand is Chris the Cox. She's the owner of
Bridges Hospice and she's awesome. One of my dear friends
(14:53):
Jeff Monk, owner of Overhead Doors in Edna area. He
has the Greater Pittsburgh. We're head Doors of Pittsburgh all
the way to Eriie And he's one of my trustees
as well. And I have an investment gentleman that I'm
not supposed to say his name.
Speaker 2 (15:12):
So those are my trust.
Speaker 1 (15:13):
Come on, tell me, come on, it's just you and me.
Speaker 2 (15:19):
It's quite capital.
Speaker 3 (15:21):
He's the gentleman that's in charge of but there he's
more of my financial advisory.
Speaker 2 (15:27):
Okay, tells me, were too swell. But those are my trustees.
Speaker 3 (15:30):
And then I have a board and the board is
a ton of people to name. And these are the
people to be with me. Most of them with me
since day one, which was twelve years ago. They're all
either self employed or work for somebody and they choose
to jump on this train and see it grow.
Speaker 2 (15:50):
And to this day, most of them are with me.
Speaker 3 (15:53):
And we have some new ones that have joined us,
but everybody didn't show. I have one guy that's in
charge of transfer rotation. I have one guy is in
charge of boxes that we place one person in charge
of all the marketing, one person in charge of communications.
So I have a ton of people that each person
(16:13):
takes a piece of task and make this training to
work properly.
Speaker 1 (16:18):
So you have the gala, but you also have the
golf outing. Let's talk a little bit about you know
what you need to do to ramp up for that
and if you need any help.
Speaker 3 (16:29):
Yeah, I mean the galley is obviously this is our
second year golf ouding.
Speaker 2 (16:34):
This will be our twelfth year. They're the major.
Speaker 3 (16:39):
Money raising fund raising for us because that keeps our
organization going. So we really rely on people donating, becoming
a sponsor and helping us to continue to grow and
help us continue to survive and help the local communities
and anything we do one hundred and it's locally focused
(17:02):
as you saw the list, and nothing lives City of Pittsburgh.
Everything is stays year. We we support both Allegheny and Westmoreland, Butler, Washington.
We support all those communities.
Speaker 2 (17:14):
And uh.
Speaker 3 (17:17):
More uh it has growed, our funds has grown over
the years, but to us our demand so so every
year we're we require.
Speaker 2 (17:27):
More money to come in.
Speaker 3 (17:28):
We we hope that there are bigger players that help
us a sponsor and help us to grow the organization.
The gallaw did extremely well last year. You folks were
part of it. iHeart was the biggest sponsor of our
gala last year and this year Christian Kuns from Steel
(17:52):
is going to be the MC, so we're hoping that
would bring a lot of new faces and hopefully the pocket.
Speaker 1 (17:58):
Sponsor and the website to get tickets.
Speaker 3 (18:02):
The website you can purchase tickets or become a sponsors
is Toys for Pittsburgh Tykes dot com and you can
go there and basically learn about us, learn about what
we do, people that we help, where the money goes,
where the dates are for gala and the golf oarding,
(18:24):
and hopefully it keeps building for us every year.
Speaker 1 (18:28):
JOVID is my pleasure to promote your events because you're
an organization that's worthy of you know, the the help
and the encouragement. So thank you so much for coming.
Thank you, Thank you as always. If you have any questions,
please email us from this radio station's website. This has
been the CEO's You Should Know podcast showcasing businesses that
(18:49):
are driving our regional economy. Part of iHeartMedia's commitment to
the communities we serve. Johnny Hertwell, thank you so much
for listening.
And welcome in. This is the CEO's Used to Know Podcast.
I'm your host, Johnny Hartwell, let's say hello again to
Javid Toys for Pittsburgh takes. Good to see you again.
How are you, John?
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Thanks for having a journey. I appreciate it. Doing well.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
All right, So you have so much going on, got
a brand new relationship with the Pittsburgh Steelers. I know
your organization is looking for a warehouse and if anybody
can help out, make sure you check out the you
know what you can do with the with the organization.
But you have a gala coming up on April fifth.
Tell us everything we need to know.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Sure, gla.
Speaker 3 (00:35):
This is our second annual GILA is on Saturday, April fifth.
It says it Stragos in Irwin, North Honington area. That's
one of our major fundraiser. We're looking for sponsors. Folks
can go on our website Toys for Pittsburgh Tykes dot com,
purchase tickets, become a sponsor and help us raise money
(00:57):
for our organization.
Speaker 1 (00:58):
All right, So the money that's used for the galo,
what does it use for?
Speaker 3 (01:02):
So it goes Obviously this is a nonprofit organization. Nobody
ever takes a dime out of the organization. We purchase
toys at the discounted right pretty much in instead of Pennsylvania.
We shop around for the best deal. In fact, we
have a delivery coming in today. Then we're also a
(01:23):
good chunk of it. Right now, our focus for a warehouse,
we like to have a warehouse pretty soon. Where we're
at is being donated up to May, and after May
we were kind of getting kicked out and we've got
to find a new home for us and this is
our third time.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
How big of a warehouse are you looking at?
Speaker 3 (01:42):
Well, our minimum requirement is ten thousand. We're hoping to
get anywhere from fifteen to twenty because how fast our
organization has grown. And we deal with a lot of
bicycles for the children of Pittsburgh and they require a
lot of work, a lot of this and blink and
the storage. So that's why we need a kind of
(02:04):
a good size warehouse to store all that.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
Now this sounds like a full time job.
Speaker 3 (02:08):
It is a full time job, it really is. But
I have a ton of great people on a board
with We have a board of trustees, we have a
CPA firm that helps us, and we have easy forty
people that sit on a board and help us on
different avenue of this organization.
Speaker 1 (02:26):
Now, what do you do normally through the week.
Speaker 3 (02:29):
I believe it or not, almost thirty percent of my
week week weekly time is a spend with toys for
Pittsburgh Time.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
Yeah, you're you are so modest. I want I want
you to. I think your catering service deserves to be recognized.
Tell us about that.
Speaker 3 (02:46):
Come on, I owe Jaden's catering Menovo been there for
thirty five years and we I wish I either chicken farm
right now and have eggs for right But yeah, yeah,
it's a very demanding job. And basically I'm an owner
operator and we've been around a long time. And then
(03:08):
I I did toys for Pittsburgh Takes and also founder
of a Greater Pittsburgh organization. It's a networking organization for
all the business professions.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
How did you get into the catering business.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
I used to work and this is going back a
long time ago. I don't know if some of your
listeners remembered that or not, but Rax Roast Beef, which
was a kind of a type constant. I was the
regional director for RAS and I managed the entire state
of Pennsylvania, half of West Virginia, parts of Maryland, and
(03:46):
then I traveled a lot. I managed seventy eight stores,
two thirds with franchise and some company. Unfortunately, the company
got sold to City Corps when I was around, and
they caught back and they didn't fill they needed local management,
and that's when I lost my job.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
And I just had a bad taste working for cooperation.
Speaker 3 (04:10):
So I started a diner used to be Scottish diner
and started the catering business.
Speaker 1 (04:16):
And that's where the catering isn't. Oh yes, So what
made you segue into Pittsburgh, Tykes? How did that happen?
Speaker 3 (04:27):
So I started a networking organization now it's going back
about thirty years ago. It was made out of all
the local businesses, only one category. So there was only
one banker, one caterer, one haircut one painter. So we
met every Wednesday. We still need every Wednesa's seven o'clock
(04:50):
at my place. And we exchanged referral. So if I
know Johnny Harporal needs a painting done at his house,
I refer somebody from the group. And that group is
started with five people. It was only five of US
thirty to be exact, thirty three years ago. Now we
grew to biggest one in Pittsburgh. We have over seventy
two members and we meet every Wednesday.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
And so way back twelve thirteen years.
Speaker 3 (05:18):
Ago, we decided to give back to local community because
they were supporting us.
Speaker 2 (05:24):
So our propose.
Speaker 3 (05:27):
Giving back to communitee by giving toys to one of
the well known organizations in the city. We did that
for two years. Long story short, we didn't like how
it was handled. We didn't like where the toys was going.
It wasn't going to local children. That was our intention,
that was our goal. So I said, we're gonna do
(05:49):
our own We're gonna start our own organization. We're gonna
collect toys locally and we're going to give it literally
handed to local people. And started with Children Hospital and
Beverly Birthdays. That was our first two organizations that we
focused on. And I actually happened to grab this on
(06:12):
the way to here. These are three pages of organization
that we just this November December we have helped out.
It's over thirty forty nonprofit, all kids oriented, all local.
Speaker 1 (06:31):
Yeah, this is like there's there's four pages of organizations yeah.
Speaker 3 (06:36):
We donated every one of those and we are truthfully
we are the biggest one in Pittsburgh and we donate
our hundreds of thousands.
Speaker 1 (06:47):
Of oh yeah yeah yeah, the one organization eighteen hundred
to two thousand toys, two hundred and seventy toys, one
hundred and fifty toys, eighteen hundred toys, two boxes. Wow.
Speaker 2 (06:59):
Yeah yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
So logistically it's not just collecting toys. You found organizations
that need toys and you delivered to those organizations.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
Very very accurate.
Speaker 3 (07:12):
The statement we do their reach out To this day,
I'm proud to say I can sit here and tell.
Speaker 2 (07:18):
You that we have never turned anybody done.
Speaker 3 (07:21):
Even it gets very challenging to come up with toys
every year.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
But.
Speaker 3 (07:27):
The Gala and the golfinding help us to raise money
so we can purchase toys. We went from a cardboard
box twelve years ago. Now we have box strucks, we
have trailers. We are just extremely busy collecting, sorting all
year long. It's not just holidays. Folks think we just
(07:49):
do this and holidays.
Speaker 2 (07:51):
It's not.
Speaker 3 (07:52):
Actually, we do it all year long anywhere we see it.
Two years ago, we saw a deal on by cycles
in Harrisburg for thirteen dollars a bike, so we paid
somebody to go get them. We come back with one
hundred and fifty eight bikes at thirteen dollars a bike.
So and that was a big, big deal for us.
Speaker 1 (08:12):
And obviously those bikes are going to probably be used
in the summertime.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
We're gone with yes once like is usually our number
one request, all.
Speaker 1 (08:20):
Right, So it always goes back to the warehouse. The warehouse.
You know, you start with the box, now your warehouse,
and you need another warehouse. And I can feel the frustration.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
Yeah, we do. We are I personally have been looking for.
Speaker 3 (08:36):
Warehouse anywhere minimum ten thousand score for hopefully to twenty thousand.
Because this is our third move on a warehouse. We
were fortunate enough we have been donated the warehouse space
from different folks. And the place, the current place we're in,
they're getting ready to start a construction in May. We're
(09:00):
pretty much got to get get out of there and
find and we are to the point that we need
our own warehouse so we can basically manage it. Lucky
he's supposed to be. This is becoming a corporation. We
need to be organized, we need to have our docks
in a row and be ready to go. So that's
(09:21):
the goal we are and we also expanded our organization.
We are trying to get kids in there to teach them.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
The art of giving.
Speaker 3 (09:29):
Not only we are giving the local children toys, but
we're also inviting some children to come to our warehouse
to actually sort them and give it to the local
community and hopefully that will be the generation that is
going to carry this program in the future. We also
expanded to sports gloves hats and with a new addition
(09:53):
to our organization Coons Foundation, Christian cons from Steelers, we
are hopefully to focus on that a little bit more
on sports and getting kids out now.
Speaker 1 (10:04):
And Christian is going to be the host for the
for the Gay.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
Christian will be there all night. Uh Is.
Speaker 3 (10:09):
I'm not paying him for donation because I give him
a lot of toys this year. So he's a fantastic
human being. Very proud of meeting him and his wife, Heather.
Their their heart is in City of Pittsburgh. They do
a lot. Coons Foundation does a lot for City of
Pittsburgh and we are proud to be a partner with them.
Speaker 1 (10:32):
How did you How did you partner with that.
Speaker 2 (10:34):
It was actually just our name.
Speaker 3 (10:37):
They reached out because they found out about us and
they're like what we do? They they saw the exposure
that we have in city of Pittsburgh and how far
we go and how much we help the local children,
and and our program wasn't just toys. We like I said,
we do educational stuff. We do sports, uh very little
(10:59):
in as gloves, scarfs, stuff like that.
Speaker 2 (11:03):
We do some of that. And so it really has
grown to become.
Speaker 3 (11:07):
A focus for local community, local children every step from
a newborn all over to eighteen.
Speaker 1 (11:17):
Tell us about your partnership with law enforcement and how
did that come about?
Speaker 2 (11:22):
Law enforcement?
Speaker 3 (11:23):
We are obviously the biggest partner. Our logo pretty much
says it all. That's why we're a big supporter of
police departments.
Speaker 2 (11:33):
Throughout the Pittsburgh.
Speaker 3 (11:35):
How that came about was we partner up with them
because we felt that we needed to close the bridge
between the community and.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
The police department.
Speaker 3 (11:46):
We wanted to kind of decrease the bad rap and
bring the organ because I saw both sides of it
and both done excellent job, and I just needed to
bring them together. And it started locally with minorabal marriage
well Swiss World, Braddy. Now we do all of them.
We pretty much this year, I think with the forty
(12:10):
three police station, and there is many many great police
chiefs that either the attend to our warehouse that pick
what they want for their community, or we deliver it
tom and they handed that to them and that has grown.
Speaker 2 (12:26):
Our biggest thing with the police departments. Or we do a.
Speaker 3 (12:31):
Drive drive by in Woodland High School that consists of five.
Speaker 2 (12:37):
Different police stations. We go through about from eleven to
one once a year.
Speaker 3 (12:42):
We call it Blue Santa, and we go through about
two hundred and fifty cars and we do but twenty
nine pallets of toys during that two hours. We have
about sixty two people helping us. So it's a big, big,
big to do. It was actually Channel wanted this story
uh on us this year. Channel eleven did one last year,
(13:04):
so so it's it's huge and you could see the difference.
Speaker 2 (13:09):
It makes me.
Speaker 3 (13:09):
Proud to see the police hand to hand work with
their community and and bring the good to their to
their community.
Speaker 1 (13:17):
Blue Center. You have a nickname of Pittsburgh Santa. Yes,
do you like me to call that?
Speaker 2 (13:23):
I do?
Speaker 3 (13:24):
But you know, honestly, the credit goes to all the
people behind me.
Speaker 2 (13:28):
I just drive this train. You know, I got a
ton of people behind me, and.
Speaker 1 (13:33):
Train shouldn't shouldn't say to be driving a sleigh for you.
You need, you need, you need something needs, something bigger
than a slave is getting out away.
Speaker 2 (13:43):
It is really getting that way. It's getting really big.
Speaker 3 (13:46):
But it's a good problem. I kept telling my board
is a growing pain. So uh, we just manage it.
We didn't think were we needed the warehouse five years ago.
Speaker 2 (13:56):
Here we are. We need the wear house.
Speaker 1 (13:58):
Tell us about your team.
Speaker 2 (14:00):
So I have I have five trustees. They're awesome.
Speaker 3 (14:08):
One of them is my first trustee is Greg Freeney,
the owner and founder of Elite Limousine and Coach are
the biggest lemonsine company in Pittsburgh. Then I have Davis
and Davis Associate. They are a CPA firm. To make
sure I'm all legal, make sure I'm kosher, make sure
we're spending the money properly, make sure nobody's pocketing any money.
(14:32):
We follow all the five of one rules and uh uh.
He is my second one. Then one of our newest
trustees for the last two three years. Pretty much my
right hand is Chris the Cox. She's the owner of
Bridges Hospice and she's awesome. One of my dear friends
(14:53):
Jeff Monk, owner of Overhead Doors in Edna area. He
has the Greater Pittsburgh. We're head Doors of Pittsburgh all
the way to Eriie And he's one of my trustees
as well. And I have an investment gentleman that I'm
not supposed to say his name.
Speaker 2 (15:12):
So those are my trust.
Speaker 1 (15:13):
Come on, tell me, come on, it's just you and me.
Speaker 2 (15:19):
It's quite capital.
Speaker 3 (15:21):
He's the gentleman that's in charge of but there he's
more of my financial advisory.
Speaker 2 (15:27):
Okay, tells me, were too swell. But those are my trustees.
Speaker 3 (15:30):
And then I have a board and the board is
a ton of people to name. And these are the
people to be with me. Most of them with me
since day one, which was twelve years ago. They're all
either self employed or work for somebody and they choose
to jump on this train and see it grow.
Speaker 2 (15:50):
And to this day, most of them are with me.
Speaker 3 (15:53):
And we have some new ones that have joined us,
but everybody didn't show. I have one guy that's in
charge of transfer rotation. I have one guy is in
charge of boxes that we place one person in charge
of all the marketing, one person in charge of communications.
So I have a ton of people that each person
(16:13):
takes a piece of task and make this training to
work properly.
Speaker 1 (16:18):
So you have the gala, but you also have the
golf outing. Let's talk a little bit about you know
what you need to do to ramp up for that
and if you need any help.
Speaker 3 (16:29):
Yeah, I mean the galley is obviously this is our
second year golf ouding.
Speaker 2 (16:34):
This will be our twelfth year. They're the major.
Speaker 3 (16:39):
Money raising fund raising for us because that keeps our
organization going. So we really rely on people donating, becoming
a sponsor and helping us to continue to grow and
help us continue to survive and help the local communities
and anything we do one hundred and it's locally focused
(17:02):
as you saw the list, and nothing lives City of Pittsburgh.
Everything is stays year. We we support both Allegheny and Westmoreland, Butler, Washington.
We support all those communities.
Speaker 2 (17:14):
And uh.
Speaker 3 (17:17):
More uh it has growed, our funds has grown over
the years, but to us our demand so so every
year we're we require.
Speaker 2 (17:27):
More money to come in.
Speaker 3 (17:28):
We we hope that there are bigger players that help
us a sponsor and help us to grow the organization.
The gallaw did extremely well last year. You folks were
part of it. iHeart was the biggest sponsor of our
gala last year and this year Christian Kuns from Steel
(17:52):
is going to be the MC, so we're hoping that
would bring a lot of new faces and hopefully the pocket.
Speaker 1 (17:58):
Sponsor and the website to get tickets.
Speaker 3 (18:02):
The website you can purchase tickets or become a sponsors
is Toys for Pittsburgh Tykes dot com and you can
go there and basically learn about us, learn about what
we do, people that we help, where the money goes,
where the dates are for gala and the golf oarding,
(18:24):
and hopefully it keeps building for us every year.
Speaker 1 (18:28):
JOVID is my pleasure to promote your events because you're
an organization that's worthy of you know, the the help
and the encouragement. So thank you so much for coming.
Thank you, Thank you as always. If you have any questions,
please email us from this radio station's website. This has
been the CEO's You Should Know podcast showcasing businesses that
(18:49):
are driving our regional economy. Part of iHeartMedia's commitment to
the communities we serve. Johnny Hertwell, thank you so much
for listening.
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