Terry Gray, lead organizer for the Dare County Motorsports Charity Group (DCMCG), presented Sandy Pace, director of the Virginia Tillett Center in Manteo, with a $25,000 charitable donation at the Dare County Board of Commissioners meeting that was held on Monday, December 6, 2021.
The funds were raised during DCMCG’s Dare County Motorcycle-Jeep Toy Run in September that generated $10,500 and the OBX Bike Rally last April that brought in $14,500.
At the meeting, Gray also presented Dare County Deputy Marylynn Cahoon with a commemorative plaque, which she accepted on behalf of the Dare County Sheriff’s Office in recognition of the department’s support and assistance during the event.
The money will be used to provide toys for more than 400 Dare County children in need this holiday season as part of the annual Virginia Tillett Center Toy Drive.
The Virginia Tillett Center, which is located at 950 Marshall C. Collins Drive in Manteo, has hosted the toy drive annually since the center first opened in 2009. All Dare County children ages 0-16 are eligible and must register to receive gifts between November 1 and November 30 of each year.
Although the registration period for the 2021 toy drive has closed, donations of new, unwrapped toys can still be dropped off at the Virginia Tillett Center before Friday, December 10, 2021. Monetary donations for the purchase of toys are also welcome.
For more information about the toy drive, call the Dare County Center at 252-475-9270.
The Dare County Motorcycle Toy Run is a private non-profit dedicated to ensuring that Dare County children in need have the opportunity to enjoy the holiday season each year.
The group’s inaugural toy ride took place in 2016 and was held with the hope that hundreds of bikers would join together for a ride designed to help raise funds that are then distributed to select organizations throughout Dare County in order to purchase toys for local children.
