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Susan Schulz
Santa
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BY SUSAN BROWNING SCHULZ
The March of the Toys Parade in downtown Ball Ground has become a north Georgia tradition. Ten years ago, local Santa and Mrs. Claus, Tim and Pam Cavender, launched the parade to join Toys for Tots (TFT) and help children in need.
This holiday season marks the 75th anniversary of the Marine Corps Reserve TFT Program. Maj. Bill Hendricks started the charity in Los Angeles in 1947 after a nudge from his wife, Diane. She was the real inspiration and had a few handcrafted dolls that she asked Bill to deliver to an agency that supported underprivileged children. Bill could not find such an organization. After Bill’s unsuccessful search, Diane instructed him to start one. He and the Marines in his reserve unit collected and distributed 5,000 toys in 1947.
Seeing the great success of this first community engagement, the commandant directed all Marine Reserve sites to implement a TFT campaign, transforming the program into a national community action in 1948.
At the time, Bill’s civilian job was director of public relations at Warner Bros. Studios. Friends with many celebrities, he asked them to help support the newly created program. As a personal friend and as a favor to Bill, Walt Disney designed the first TFT poster, which included a miniature three-car train. This image was subsequently adopted as the official logo.
Toys For Tots has grown exponentially since. In 1991, The Marine Toys for Tots Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, was established at the behest of the Marine Corps to help run and support the program. The foundation raises funds, purchases toys, distributes donations and handles day-to-day operations. To date, 627 million toys have been distributed, supporting 281 million happy children.
Local Support for a National Effort
The ninth annual March of the Toys Parade is Dec. 2. The vendor market will open at 4 p.m. in Ball Ground’s City Park, and the parade will begin at 7 p.m. Last year, it was estimated 5,000 people attended the parade.
“I can’t stand the idea of a child going through Christmas without toys,” Tim Cavender said. “The toys we collect are distributed through the TFT branch in Marietta. Besides collecting unwrapped toys for TFT, we celebrate the season with vendors and lots of superheroes, princesses and ‘Star Wars’ characters who come
from all over the Southeast.”
Santa and Mrs. Claus will bring snow with them as they travel down Main Street. After the parade, a meet and greet with free photo opportunities will feature Santa and Mrs. Claus, as well as all of the children’s favorite cosplayers (participants who wear costumes and accessories to represent a character). The cosplayers will gather in City Park, and Santa will be available on the stage.
“Our 2022 grand marshal is Lulu Roman from the famed TV sitcom, ‘Hee Haw.’ Lulu will be doing a meet and greet prior to the parade, from 4-6 p.m., at Barrel House Coffee on Main Street (275 Gilmer Ferry Road),” Cavendar said.
Don’t forget to bring a new, unwrapped toy to the parade for TFT. Collection boxes for toys will be available along Main Street (the parade route) and at City Park. For more information, visit marchofthetoysparade.com or contact Tim Cavender, parade chairman, at tmcavender@ cherokeega.com or 770-735-4263.
Susan Schulz is a Bible teacher and mentor who lives and plays on the Etowah River in Canton. Connect with her on social media or at susanbrowningschulz.com.
Jeweler's Focus is on Customers and Family
The story behind The Jewelsmith, a familyowned jewelry store at The Avenue of West Cobb, may have been described best by Monique Sparks, wife of third-generation jeweler Oliver Ronquillo, as “the epitome of the American dream.” Oliver, a GIA-certified master jeweler, immigrated from the Philippines in 1971. His primary education started at age 15, as he watched and worked with his father and grandfather, who also came to work in the U.S. “Oliver’s father is well-known in metro Atlanta by most of the larger jewelry stores for whom they’ve done repair work,” Monique said. While Oliver began his career as an independent jeweler, the economy caused him to change course in 2008. He entered the corporate world, where he managed repair shops, gaining valuable business experience and developing skills for training and encouraging other jewelers. “After 10 years of doing this, he realized he truly wanted to have his own shop,” Monique said. “Working behind the scenes at other shops didn’t allow him to develop relationships with the customers. This was something he felt was lacking in his craft.” With a fresh, customer-oriented focus, Oliver and Monique opened The Jewelsmith in June 2019 with some essential guiding principles: • Establish a great relationship with each customer. Each piece created at The
Jewelsmith is designed and planned carefully with the customer’s input as the primary driver. • Maintain integrity and quality of work, committing to each customer’s complete
PHOTOS BY RED BARYL PORTRAITS.
satisfaction, whether it’s engraving, repair or creating new jewelry. • Create an environment where customers can watch as the jewelers work. Almost all work is done in-house; they have the equipment to develop, cast and complete each piece. Just as The Jewelsmith’s owners value family, they also love being part of special occasions celebrated by other families. “We have received engagement videos from happy couples, and a video of an 88-yearold grandmother, who received a gift of her mother’s ring turned into a pendant. Her tears of joy were priceless,” Monique said. “We were also able to restore a 100-year-old rosary, which is a family heirloom. It is now going to be passed down to another generation. We consider it a great privilege to be able to be a part of something so extraordinarily special as these occasions.” With son Zach, the fourth generation, training to continue the family tradition, Oliver and Monique are excited about The Jewelsmith’s future. Tristan, another son, is an apprentice, learning the trade, and his wife, Courtney, is responsible for computer-aided design, and designs jewelry to carry in the shop and online. “We have gone from being just Oliver and Monique, to being able to hire three employees, all of whom are our kids,” she said. “We love being able to provide jobs for some of our children, as well as spend time with them in the family business. All of this happened as we faced a global pandemic; we can only credit God for our continued success.”
The Jewelsmith family, from left: Aspen, Zach and Oliver Ronquillo, Monique, Courtney and Tristan Sparks.
