JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska -- The Family Advocacy Outreach Program on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska is hosting a toy exchange April 21.
The event is scheduled to take place in the Olde Lounge of the Arctic Warrior Event Center, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. across the hall from the Mother-Son and Father-Daughter Dance taking place the same night.
Parents of children who have gently-used toys that are no longer age-appropriate can use this event to swap them out for toys of an older age group.
“While we have hosted a number of clothing swaps here on JBER, this is the first time we’ve held a swap focused exclusively on toys,” said Suzette O’Donnell, Family Advocacy Program outreach manager. ‘If it is successful, we will consider making it an annual event.”
O’Donnell said the event was inspired by the “Tot Swaps” that are widely popular in Maryland, often taking place on a multi-day scale.
“The goal of the event is to lessen the financial burden on military families by offering free toys to children and provide a safe and convenient place for families to exchange them,” O’Donnell said.
While the toy swap and the dance are not the same event, they aren’t competing for attention either.
“We chose to host the two events at the same time to make it easier on our participating families,” O’Donnell said. “We are providing safe family fun in combination with a teachable moment about kindness and sharing.”
Families are encouraged to attend both events, but should keep in mind the dance is a formal event and should dress the part before attending the dance. However they will not turn people away unless they reach maximum capacity for the dance, O’Donnell said.
In the first 15 hours, the dance received about 200 separate registration requests, she said. However, there are still spots available.
“I want the swap to be a success and have our participants walk away with the feeling that they have contributed to their community while having fun with no financial worry,” said Gwen Nieberlein, the newest member of the Family Advocacy Outreach Program and inspiration behind the swap.
To avoid potential confusion, it’s worth noting that though the event is called a Tot Swap, people are exchanging toys permanently, not children temporarily, O’Donnell said.