MEDINA, Ohio – In a time when many are inundated with bad news, Heather Marks, vice president of Sir Troy’s Toy Kingdom, said the holidays has brought out the best in some of her customers.
“I think it was two Christmases ago in our Medina store where we had someone buy a bunch of $10 gift cards then they gave them to us and asked us to give them out throughout the day,” Marks said. “So we randomly gave them out to shoppers and I don’t think people realize this, but $10 can really make or break a mom’s day when she is on a budget and trying to shop for her children. We actually had people cry over receiving these gift cards.”
Then this year, Marks said a shopper at Sir Troy’s Solon location purchased $15,000 worth of $100 gift cards that were given to children in need.
“This person wanted to remain completely anonymous, but they worked with the local Salvation Army to select the children,” she said. “Then we had an event this past Sunday where the kids could come in and shop. My husband and I dressed up as Santa and Mrs. Claus. It was a wonderful event.”
Marks said Sir Troy’s brought in extra staff to make sure the event went off without a hitch.
“It was so great watching the kids shop,” she said. “I watched one little girl walking around hugging an armload of stuffed animals and there was a little boy figuring out how many Hot Wheels he could buy with his gift certificate.”
Marks pointed out that this kind of generosity benefits not only children, but also small businesses around the holiday season.
“We were really touched by this individual, because they wanted no recognition,” she said. “So many people put things on social media so they can get recognition, but this person just wanted to spread joy.”