The joy of toys
Tom Shelder and Lisa Ulrich welcome donations to Toys for Tots at the only drop-off site in Elk Rapids. Photos by Barb Mosher
By Barb Mosher, Contributing Writer
Tom Shelder will never forget his eleventh Christmas. His father, a pastor in Sioux Falls, S.D., had returned to school to pursue a master’s degree in marriage and family therapy, and money was tight. Tom and his younger sister and brother had hopes — but no expectations — for presents under the tree that year.
“It was a tough time,” Shelder said. “But I remember coming down the stairs in our tiny 900-square-foot house and not being able to see the carpet in the living room, because there were gifts everywhere.”
The family had been “adopted” by employees of Citibank’s Sioux Falls headquarters, who delivered loads of presents late that Christmas eve. Among the packages for Tom were a pair of CCM hockey skates — essential for a boy growing up in a neighborhood with an outdoor ice rink — and a slot car race track he had longed for.
“It had a profound impact on me,” said Shelder, a certified financial planner and resident of Williamsburg. “It was wild to feel so blessed.”
So when he had the opportunity in 2010 to help make Christmas magical for struggling families, he jumped onboard. This month marks Shelder’s 15th season hosting a drop-off site for contributions to Toys for Tots, a program that aims to bring joy and hope to America’s economically disadvantaged children through the gift of new toys.
“When I took over the old Edward Jones (financial advising) office, they had been doing it,” Shelder explained. “I wanted to accelerate it, because I had that phenomenal experience when I was a kid. I wanted to be a blessing to kids who don’t wake up to presents under a tree.”
He increased public awareness of the annual collection of new, unwrapped toys through advertising and personal appeals to his clients, and his office became the largest (volume) drop-off site in Antrim County. In October 2023, Shelder moved a couple of blocks down Elk Rapids’ River Street to open his own wealth management firm. The next month he set up a Christmas tree inside, stuck a couple of Toys for Tots sign outside, and the toys started coming in once again.
“This community is incredibly generous,” Shelder said. “It’s always astounded me. Some people do the same things every year. It’s a tradition for them. One man dropships five or six bikes every year. Another guy always brings in die-cast cars, and someone else does skateboards.”
Toys for Tots volunteers typically swing by once or twice a week to gather the toys that have accumulated, although Shelder sometimes has to request additional pick-ups when his office runs out of space for donations.
While the bulk of the contributions come in November and December, Shelder says he receives and welcomes new, unwrapped toys year-round. “We accept and store them whenever someone wants to drop them off,” he said, noting that some people take advantage of sales to purchase and donate toys throughout the year, while others bring in one or two simple gifts close to Christmas.
Lisa Ulrich, Shelder’s office administrator, has a front row seat to the giving spirit. “It’s great to see people come in,” she said. “You can tell some people don’t have a lot themselves, but they’re giving what they can. People really enjoy doing things for kids. No donation is too small.”
Shelder said Toys for Tots also appreciates monetary donations that are used to fill specific wish list items that have not been met with toy contributions, adding that gifts for pre-teens and teenagers are especially needed.
“People are very giving,” he said. “They just need to know there’s a need. Legos are always a safe bet, sports things, board games, timeless things like slinkies. An affluent kid who gets a Slinky plays with it for 15 minutes, but for a kid who has nothing, it has a tremendous impact.”
Karen Krumlauf oversees the Toys for Tots programs in Antrim and Kalkaska counties. She estimates she and other volunteers will collect and distribute gifts to nearly a thousand children this year. All donations stay local, she explained, so toys brought in to Shelder’s office (or any of the drop-off sites in the two counties) will be opened on Christmas morning by area children.
“Tom’s been fabulous,” Krumlauf said. “There aren’t enough words for what he’s done. We love going there to pick up toys. They’re just wonderful people.”
For Shelder, it’s simply a way to pass along the kind of joy he experienced that Christmas when his family needed a little extra help.
“Christmas can be tough and stressful for families,” he said. “The expectations are high, because our society puts a lot of emphasis on instant gratification as a path to happiness. We learn that as children, and it puts strain and pressure on parents to deliver that expectation, sometimes to their own detriment. But there’s a tremendous need, and kids shouldn’t have to suffer.”
There’s still time to make a difference in a local child’s holiday by dropping off new, unwrapped toys or financial contributions to Shelder’s office, Third Coast Wealth Planning, at 215 River Street, Elk Rapids. For more information on Toys for Tots, visit traverse-city-mi.toysfortots.org.
Tom Shelder will never forget his eleventh Christmas. His father, a pastor in Sioux Falls, S.D., had returned to school to pursue a master’s degree in marriage and family therapy, and money was tight. Tom and his younger sister and brother had hopes — but no expectations — for presents under the tree that year.
“It was a tough time,” Shelder said. “But I remember coming down the stairs in our tiny 900-square-foot house and not being able to see the carpet in the living room, because there were gifts everywhere.”
The family had been “adopted” by employees of Citibank’s Sioux Falls headquarters, who delivered loads of presents late that Christmas eve. Among the packages for Tom were a pair of CCM hockey skates — essential for a boy growing up in a neighborhood with an outdoor ice rink — and a slot car race track he had longed for.
“It had a profound impact on me,” said Shelder, a certified financial planner and resident of Williamsburg. “It was wild to feel so blessed.”
So when he had the opportunity in 2010 to help make Christmas magical for struggling families, he jumped onboard. This month marks Shelder’s 15th season hosting a drop-off site for contributions to Toys for Tots, a program that aims to bring joy and hope to America’s economically disadvantaged children through the gift of new toys.
“When I took over the old Edward Jones (financial advising) office, they had been doing it,” Shelder explained. “I wanted to accelerate it, because I had that phenomenal experience when I was a kid. I wanted to be a blessing to kids who don’t wake up to presents under a tree.”
He increased public awareness of the annual collection of new, unwrapped toys through advertising and personal appeals to his clients, and his office became the largest (volume) drop-off site in Antrim County. In October 2023, Shelder moved a couple of blocks down Elk Rapids’ River Street to open his own wealth management firm. The next month he set up a Christmas tree inside, stuck a couple of Toys for Tots sign outside, and the toys started coming in once again.
“This community is incredibly generous,” Shelder said. “It’s always astounded me. Some people do the same things every year. It’s a tradition for them. One man dropships five or six bikes every year. Another guy always brings in die-cast cars, and someone else does skateboards.”
Toys for Tots volunteers typically swing by once or twice a week to gather the toys that have accumulated, although Shelder sometimes has to request additional pick-ups when his office runs out of space for donations.
While the bulk of the contributions come in November and December, Shelder says he receives and welcomes new, unwrapped toys year-round. “We accept and store them whenever someone wants to drop them off,” he said, noting that some people take advantage of sales to purchase and donate toys throughout the year, while others bring in one or two simple gifts close to Christmas.
Lisa Ulrich, Shelder’s office administrator, has a front row seat to the giving spirit. “It’s great to see people come in,” she said. “You can tell some people don’t have a lot themselves, but they’re giving what they can. People really enjoy doing things for kids. No donation is too small.”
Shelder said Toys for Tots also appreciates monetary donations that are used to fill specific wish list items that have not been met with toy contributions, adding that gifts for pre-teens and teenagers are especially needed.
“People are very giving,” he said. “They just need to know there’s a need. Legos are always a safe bet, sports things, board games, timeless things like slinkies. An affluent kid who gets a Slinky plays with it for 15 minutes, but for a kid who has nothing, it has a tremendous impact.”
Karen Krumlauf oversees the Toys for Tots programs in Antrim and Kalkaska counties. She estimates she and other volunteers will collect and distribute gifts to nearly a thousand children this year. All donations stay local, she explained, so toys brought in to Shelder’s office (or any of the drop-off sites in the two counties) will be opened on Christmas morning by area children.
“Tom’s been fabulous,” Krumlauf said. “There aren’t enough words for what he’s done. We love going there to pick up toys. They’re just wonderful people.”
For Shelder, it’s simply a way to pass along the kind of joy he experienced that Christmas when his family needed a little extra help.
“Christmas can be tough and stressful for families,” he said. “The expectations are high, because our society puts a lot of emphasis on instant gratification as a path to happiness. We learn that as children, and it puts strain and pressure on parents to deliver that expectation, sometimes to their own detriment. But there’s a tremendous need, and kids shouldn’t have to suffer.”
There’s still time to make a difference in a local child’s holiday by dropping off new, unwrapped toys or financial contributions to Shelder’s office, Third Coast Wealth Planning, at 215 River Street, Elk Rapids. For more information on Toys for Tots, visit traverse-city-mi.toysfortots.org.
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