Back From the Ashes

Judy Else have Christmas on the brain.

For more than 50 years, the Elses have operated the Share-A-Toy program, which gives more than 9,000 toys every Christmas season to around 800 children in the area.

After a fire destroyed Vince’s toy workshop just weeks before Christmas, they weren’t sure what to do next.

“When [the fire] was over, we decided we were going to quit,” Vince said. “We walked back in (to the house) and were just standing here. Judy said, ‘this must be God telling us to stop after 50-some years.’ A couple days later a few former students called saying they started a rebuilding program.”

With a brand new 30x63 foot metal pole building just feet behind their Nodaway home, the Elses now have a completely different outlook on the future of their Share-A-Toy program.

Even after a hip replacement a few weeks ago, Vince, 76, said he couldn’t even think about stopping now.

The new building was recently enclosed but is still a ways away from being the toy factory Vince has envisioned.

It is still in need of electrical work, followed the construction of inside walls, the ceiling and walls to separate the restroom, wash area and toy distribution room.

“It is being built for one purpose only and that’s the Share-A-Toy program,” Vince said about his new building.

His previous workshop was the home next-door, which he bought around six years ago when his neighbor moved into a nursing home. It was then converted into a make-shift workshop before an electrical fire destroyed the building in mid-December. Since it was so close to Christmas, the year’s toys had already been moved to the distribu-

tion site at the Nodaway Community Center.

Vince’s new building, however, allows space for the storage and distribution of toys, making everything just a short walk out his back door.

While he would have liked to be working in his new shop by now, Vince said lack of funding is holding them back from completing the space.

The Elses have received more donations than they can keep track of, yet the bills keep piling up.

The building, which they got discounted from Menards, cost $6,000; $2,000 of which they paid for out of pocket. Vince said they then paid Amish workers to construct the building rather than have inexperienced volunteers do the work.

Area businesses have donated labor costs for some of the work, including the insulation and part of the electrical installation, but the project is at a standstill until either more money is raised or businesses offer their services.

“We’re going to have toys, that’s for sure,” Vince said about the upcoming season. “People helped donate [money] to fund the building, but that’s where it stopped. They toys keep coming, though.”

Walking up to the Elses’ house, it’s clear toys are in no short supply. Their screened in porch is packed floor-to-ceiling with boxes and bags full of everything from stuffed animals to rocking horses, and the stock pile in the garage is growing daily.

Other area businesses and organizations have also collected toys for the Elses but have offered to house them until the new workshop is available.

“We probably had more toys brought in this year than we ever have before,” Judy said.

Luckily, according to Vince, many of this year’s toy donations are new, eliminating much of the work he has to put in. Typically, the Share-A-Toy program keeps him in the workshop year-round, washing toys, matching game pieces and replacing batteries.

 “We’re going to have [new] toys running out of our ears and maybe even the top of the head for this year and then we’ll go back to having to get them ready next year,” he said.

The Share-A-Toy program is a lot of work, according to Vince, but it’s rewarding, which keeps him working every year, even well into his 70s.

Vince and Judy are proud of all the support they’ve received in the rebuilding process, but they said it’s not about them.

“This should be a thank-you from all the kids that are getting toys, not us. It isn’t a building for us; it’s for the Share-A-Toy program. We know it will make the kids happy. The first child who I gave a toy to when I was teaching Sunday school has to be over 60 now. I have no idea what his name was or who his parents were, but it was the start of something. I just think of all the kids that come through.”

To help to the Share-A-Toy program, contact the Elses at 712-785-3311 or mail donations to 400 4th Ave. in Nodaway.