By Vernon Robison
Moapa Valley Progress
Last year, on Christmas Eve, Myrtle Kellar received a call at home. It was from a local mother in trouble.
“She was desperate,” Kellar said. “She had lost her job and her husband’s hours had been cut way back.”
It looked like the three children in her family might not be getting anything for Christmas, Kellar explained.
For decades, Kellar has been the local coordinator for the Toys for Tots program. Every year makes it her personal mission to ensure that no child in the Moapa Valley goes without a new toy for Christmas.
In this case, though the deadlines for donations had passed and the toys had already been distributed to local children, Kellar immediately jumped into action. She knew that the Toys for Tots bank account still had a little donated money left for just such an emergency. And so, on Christmas Eve, Kellar went to the store to purchased toys for this family. She delivered them to the family that night in time for Christmas.
“I just won’t allow it,” Kellar said. “If a family needs me I find a way to get it done. I don’t want these kids to do without at Christmas time.”
Last week, Kellar made the final rounds to the various Toys for Tots drop spots in Moapa Valley and Mesquite. All of the toys were gathered in an office space in downtown Overton donated by local businessman Kurt Slight. Once there Kellar’s team of about a dozen people helped to pack up, and eventually deliver, the toys to needy households in the communities.
The room was filled to the brim with wall-to-wall toys. This year, the program is serving over 550 children, according to Kellar. All of those children are located within the communities of Moapa Valley, Moapa, Mesquite and Bunkerville, the Paiute Reservation.
“This year has been really rough on a lot of families,” Kellar said. “We are seeing families come to us from places that we have never been before.”
Kellar has been humbled by the generosity shown by local community residents and businesses.
“It has been a hard year for almost everyone,” she said. “No one has a lot to give. But still people have given a lot. We will have plenty to cover every child that we have.”
Kellar expressed gratitude to all those who volunteered in the efforts. These included American Legion Commander Dennis Vance, Jan Vance, Marla LaMaster and other members of the American Legion Auxiliary, the Moapa Valley Rotary Club, Kurt Slight and Tony Ricco. She also recognized Mike and Bev Qualheim from Qualheim Insurance who helped with toy donation pickups and deliveries.
“This really is a community effort,” she said. “Without the community we wouldn’t get anywhere.”
