This holiday season marks the special 40th anniversary of Santa's Helpers at Channel 8.
The annual toy drive has brought joy to thousands of children who otherwise would go without presents during the holiday season.
Santa's Helpers wouldn't exist without the generosity of our viewers, and hundreds of volunteers who have helped make the toy drive a success every year.
Wendy Summers and her family now volunteer for the toy drive in what has become a family tradition. She said she watched the drive year after year on Channel 8 while she was growing up before she decided to take action.
"Then when I did see it come on TV one night, I thought, 'Well, that's what I think we need to do as a family,' " she said.
That was three years ago. The Summers have come to volunteer with Santa's Helpers ever since.
Her husband Jason, deployed last year during the toy drive, is looking forward to helping out this year with his wife and children.
"I get a kick out of watching them," he said. "They are just smiling from ear to ear. They're glowing. They have such a great time."
Each year 12-year-old Megan and 10-year-old Brendan don't just volunteer. They raise money on their own, filling huge stockings and sacks full of toys for Santa's Helpers.
This will be the fourth year they and their parents will help gather toys dropped off at one of several drive-through events held in December.
"It is fun, because I know the feeling of me getting toys every year and I love it," Megan said. "And I want other kids to know, that don't know that feeling."
The Summers hope they are instilling a giving spirit that their children will carry with them as they grow up.
"During the season of Christmas, we don't only receive stuff, but we also need to be givers," Wendy Summers said.
That's a lesson these children already understand.
"You're doing it for a good cause, and you are just wanting to help out," Brendan said.
If you would like to drop off a toy for Santa's Helpers, our first event is Friday night at The Nutcracker performance at the Eisemann Center in Richardson.
For a complete list of our Santa's Helpers toy drop-off events, you can log on to our website at WFAA.com.
