THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, November 1, 1994 TAG: 9411010270
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B01 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: STAFF REPORT
LENGTH: Medium: 72 lines
Golfers were scheduled to tee up today at the Greenbrier County Club in Chesapeake to benefit the Joy Fund, which for 60 years has provided toys for children who otherwise would not have the thrill of getting Christmas presents.
About 120 players will pay $50 each, and an auction of golf equipment and clothing will follow the outing.
Today's benefit will be one of a number of events that will raise money the Joy Fund, a charity founded by a newspaper editor during the Great Depression.
It was Tom Hanes, managing editor of what is now The Ledger-Star, who in 1934 decided that even in those bleak days people who had a little something would be willing to help those who had nothing.
Hanes was right. And every Christmas season since, the Joy Fund has carried out the mission he envisioned. It has done so by guaranteeing that every penny donated would be passed on to the needy. The cost of running the Joy Fund is paid for by The Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Star.
Last year, about $375,000 was raised to buy toys or clothing for some 30,000 children. This year's goal is to reach more than 30,000 kids. More than a million kids have been helped since the fund was started.
Over the years, the circle of those who want to help bring joy has broadened. Individual donors are still the mainstays of the drive, but more and more groups and businesses have joined the effort.
One group is the Goldwing Road Riders Association. Members are owners of big Honda touring motorcycles. They paid a registration fee, and put money into a pot for the Joy Fund on Sunday before taking a 90-mile run. Honda of Norfolk also sponsored the ride.
Another group is the Tidewater Sports Car Club. Sports car owners will get together the weekend of Nov. 12 and 13 for a practice session and a test of driving skill at the Fentress Airfield in Chesapeake. Atlantic Autowerks of Norfolk also sponsors the event. The cost to participants: $25 for both days.
Norfolk's Lakewood Dance and Music Center will present jazz, tap, ballet, country/western and ballroom dancing at a performance at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 18 at Chrysler Hall. The event, ``Dance Magic,'' is sponsored by the Norfolk Department of Parks and Recreation.
On Nov. 24, the 24th annual Charity Bowl football game will be played at the Union Kempsville Stadium in Virginia Beach. Former high school and college players will take their bumps and bruises, all for the Joy Fund. The game starts at 11 a.m. Spectators are asked to donate $4.
All proceeds from a basketball game in which the ODU Lady Monarchs play Winthrop University will go to the Joy Fund. The game will be played at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 3 at the ODU Field House.
You can eat brunch with Santa and have your picture taken with him, too, at the Key West Restaurant at the Holiday Inn Greenbrier in Chesapeake on Dec. 4, 11 and 18. Contributions for the photos go to the Joy Fund.
The Tidewater Square & Round Dance Council and the Virginia Beach Department of Parks and Recreation will sponsor the 24th annual ``Dance for Joy'' at Bayside Middle School on Dec. 4. There will be two sessions, one starting at 2 p.m. and the other at 6:30 p.m. Donations are $3.
The Haygood Skating Center in the 1000 block of Ferry Plantation Road in Virginia Beach will donate $1.50 from every admission on Dec. 4 between 2 and 4 p.m.
Another business, Catering Concepts, will donate some of the proceeds from the sale of spiral sliced hams to the Joy Fund. MEMO: To sponsor an event, call 446-2595. Send contributions to the Joy
Fund, P.O. Box 2136, Norfolk, Va. 23501.
KEYWORDS: JOY FUND
by CNB