Parking tickets were turned into holiday cheer today as Mayor Don McIsaac presented more than $3,200 in children’s toys and toy store gift certificates from the 2023 Toys for Tickets campaign to the local chapter of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orillia and District, the Couchiching Jubilee House, and The Salvation Army.
“Since 2006, with the help of our community, the City of Orillia has been turning parking tickets into toys and monetary donations for families in need in our city,” said Mayor Don McIsaac. “Thank you to everyone who donated to this year’s Toys for Tickets campaign. Your generous contributions will have a tremendous impact over the holiday season.”
Through the Toys for Tickets campaign, the City of Orillia invited every person who received a parking ticket (with the exception of accessible parking violations) in the city between Nov. 1 and Dec. 1, 2023 to pay the fine amount by donating a new children’s toy or monetary donation of equal or greater value.
“Through the funds raised through the Toys for Tickets program, we are able to purchase toys for the Christmas Hamper Program, which last year helped close to 560 families. We are amazed by the kindness that the Orillia community offers to those in need. I would like to thank the City of Orillia for including us in this program and to everyone who donated this year,” said Captain Josh Howard, Corps Officer for The Salvation Army Orillia Citadel.
Over the past 16 years, the City of Orillia Toys for Tickets campaign has generated more than $46,000 worth of new toys and monetary donations in lieu of payment for parking tickets.