When Stephanie Feigen took on a project for her theater marketing class, she wanted to accomplish something more than just a paper to turn in at the end of the semester.
Feigen decided to coordinate with the U.S. Marines’ annual Toys for Tots charity drive and is now promoting the department of theatre and dance’s productions of The Rose Tattoo and the Alabama Repertory Dance Theatre fall concert by offering discounts to patrons who donate a toy.
Toys for Tots is a national charity drive hosted by the Marines, which sets up drop-boxes at various retail locations where people can donate new toys. The toys are distributed to local children in need.
“Since this is the first year we’re doing it, our goal is just to get the word out there and collect as many toys as possible,” said Feigen, a first year graduate student in theater management. “We’d love to get everyone on board with donating to Toys for Tots as well so we can make this an annual event.”
For each ticket sold to either of these productions, donators will receive $1 off for bringing a new, unwrapped toy to the drive. Toys and cash donations are accepted without purchasing tickets to the shows. People may drop toys off at the boxes in the lobby of Rowand-Johnson Hall or the Office of Student Media any time between now and Dec. 9.
“The Rose Tattoo falls right between football games,” Feigen said. “I was trying to think of ways to get people to stick around after the game Thursday and come to our shows on the weekend.”
Feigen originally thought of holding a food drive to coincide with the shows. After learning that the University annually holds the Beat Auburn Beat Hunger event, she and her professor, Christopher Montpetit, opted to contact Toys for Tots instead.
“The initial goal was to have all the projects in my class to become real projects,” Montpetit said. “I always think of the Toys for Tots campaign as a really special thing. I make a point to drop off a toy every year when I visit my hometown.”
Montpetit said he is thrilled with the program so far, although donations have been a little slow starting out. People have told him they plan to make donations, and many of them have said they do not care about the ticket discount.
“I think it does bring exposure to projects, productions and the department,” he said, “but I also think those in the arts should do a little something extra now and then, and this meets that goal.”
His class project gives students the chance to give back to their community, Montpetit said. He believes it is important for his students to participate in a project that allows them to see their work outside the classroom and the goals they have achieved.
Feigen and Montpetit both hope the department’s Toys for Tots campaign will grow to become an annual charity event.
“We’re just hoping to get people excited about it and we’ll be able to start taking donations earlier next year,” Feigen said. “I’ll be here then as well.”
For more information on Toys for Tots, visit toysfortots.org. If you would like to donate on campus, visit the lobby of Rowand-Johnson Hall or the Office of Student Media. Checks should be made out to Toys for Tots.
