PWSI Toys for Tots tourney (Va.) draws flurry of quality donations

By Roger Gonzalez

There was a toy for every goal, it seemed, a donation from a soccer fan, parent or player who wanted to brighten the holiday season for a young person in the Washington, D.C. region.

The main goal of the PWSI Toys for Tots Tournament, aside from providing great competition and wonderful facilities, was to show all of those in attendance how important it is to give a gift of joy to those who aren’t as well off.

In a nod to the mission of the competition, white and red bins were set up all over each tournament venue, intended to be filled up with toys.

Mission accomplished.

“We have seen a lot more giving,” said Stacy Moffett, the Howison Field (Coles, Va.) site coordinator. “This year, we were blessed to be able to have a couple of Marines here with us.

“People have seen that visually and so they have actually gone out and made special trips to get some additional toys for us…We have got eight, big, huge trash bags full of toys.”

These aren’t just any toys, Moffett noted.

“We have folks in here who have brought gifts that are anywhere from $30 to $100,” she said. “It just depends on what you get. People are very, very generous. We had a gentleman yesterday who came in and had three boxes of toys for us.”

She hopes that each player has walked away with a elevated understanding of what it means to give.

“[Parents] have the kids bring the toys up, they have the players do it, the players see the giving all around,” Moffett said.

Toys for Tots resumes next weekend with the onset of U-13 through U-19 play. Parents, family members and friends can do their part by bringing a gift for a needy child. The site coordinator expects many more donations next week and is happy with how this weekend played out.

“We do tend to find that with the older kids, we get a wide variety of gifts,” Moffet said. “The older kids tend to bring more expensive toys — GameBoys, Xbox .

“This is a really good start.”