“Now we can ensure that every group that requested toys for kids in their programs and communities will wake up with a new toy on Christmas morning,” Soboba Foundation President Dondi Silvas said. “We are so grateful to our Elders for stepping up to help out this way.”

Additionally, Ricardo Macias who works at Soboba’s Parks & Recreation Department, requested players who attended his recent Wolves Basketball Camp donate a toy to the event as well. At least a dozen extra gifts were collected as a result of his generous team and their families.

More than 5,400 toys valued at $20 each were distributed to about 35 worthy nonprofits and community organizations who work with disadvantaged families all year long and know of their struggles, especially during the holiday season.

Hemet and San Jacinto unified school districts each received 1,000 toys to distribute to identified families most in need this year. The Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians’ 45-foot-long luxury bus was filled with toys that were unstuffed at events hosted by both districts.

SJUSD held their event on Nov. 29 and hundreds of community members of all ages joined in the toy-passing brigade, transporting toys from the bus to its warehouse. San Jacinto High School cheerleaders and friends sorted each toy by age group to make distribution easier when they were picked up by the families at a later date during a drive-through event.

Soboba Tribal Chairman Isaiah Vivanco thanked everyone who helped that night as well as the effort that went into getting the bus stuffed with toys before they could be delivered. “I want to thank our Foundation, Andrew Vallejos and all our volunteers who put these toys together,” he said. “We know the San Jacinto district will get these toys out to the kids who need them. We can’t thank you guys enough. We really appreciate all of you coming out here today; it’s good to see the community come together and support each other. It’s an awesome event.”

Soboba Foundation President Dondi Silvas said, “It’s always great to see everybody here to help out the school district. We can always count on you to be here to support us all and all the efforts that we’re trying to do. Thank you for helping unstuff the bus filled with 1,000 toys!”

HUSD hosted its event at Tahquitz High School on Dec. 9 where toys were taken from the bus for safe storage until they could be distributed to needy families. Both events put participants in a festive mood with blaring holiday music and hot coffee and cocoa.

Aside from the school districts that enjoy robust relationships with Soboba, nonprofits were delighted they were able to plan Santa visits and Christmas celebrations where each child attending could receive a toy, thanks to the Soboba Gives Back! Toy Drive.

Jared Dobbins has been the executive director of VIP Tots in Hemet since 2017. He said they were thankful to have received 150 toys for ages 18 months through six years old for children attending the center as well as their siblings. “We have a long partnership with Soboba for the toy drive,” Dobbins said. “Our staff, as well as our families, look forward to it every year and we are beyond grateful for the partnership with Soboba to make this happen each and every year. It is a huge blessing to our families!”

Dobbins said VIP Tots has been open for 43 years and it “exists to create engaging, inclusive environments where young children learn, and adults have access to positive solutions for supporting children.”

Irene Siler represents two organizations that benefit from Soboba’s generosity: Church of the Saints and Higher Ground Church of God in Christ. Each received 50 toys for kids ranging from three through eight years of age. She is vice president of the Church of the Saints and administrative director of outreach.

“Prior to COVID-19 we would have an outreach at Weston Park in Hemet or at our church,” Siler explained. “We would fix Christmas dinner and have music and games. We passed out clothing and other donated items. We ministered to the families, passed out salvation tracks, books and bibles. If the event was held at the church, there was a Christmas program by our youth ministry. At the end of each event our pastor would hand out the gifts to each child.”

Due to the pandemic, New Beginnings Church of San Jacinto was reopened in April. It is a subdivision of the Church of the Saints. This year, as Christmas is on Saturday which is the church’s normal day of worship, an abbreviated service is planned, with gifts being handed out afterwards.

“We are grateful for the generosity of Soboba,” Siler said. “It is because of their altruism we have now and in past years been enabled to be a help in our immediate communities and beyond. It means a great deal that we are able to bless multiple children in our community who might not be able to receive gifts.”

She said that many of the families are homeless, or the parents just need a little extra help. “For last three years we also helped out the parents by wrapping the gifts; that saves the family money, also,” she said.

Church of the Saints is a nonprofit, small fellowship of churches, organizations and individuals. “On a small scale, we help where and when we can,” Siler said.

Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians | Contributed

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After five days of collecting toys at the Soboba Casino Resort Event Center, members of the Soboba Foundation were able to present local nonprofits with more than 5,300 toys to distribute through various community programs.

More than 300 volunteers were scheduled for two-hour shifts for each of the eight-hour days of the annual “Soboba Gives Back!” Toy Drive, accepting a $20-plus toy in exchange for $40 in free slot play.

Soboba Tribal Member Joey Placencia volunteered for double shifts on four of the days and worked six hours on the final day. He has been a regular participant for the past five years.  “My mother Doris, aunt Tara, cousin Tatiana, aunt Maria and uncle Pat also volunteered their time,” he said. “I do a ton of charity events. I was raised in a charitable spirit and my family has always given its time to various causes for as long as I can remember.”

In past years, the event was held outdoors on the walkway leading up to the old casino’s entrance. This year, volunteers got to be indoors at the new facility and toys were stored in neighboring meeting rooms for scheduled pick-ups each week.

About 50 organizations were recipients of this year’s event. The Hemet Preschool was a new addition but there were many regulars that benefit from this program each year, including VIP Tots, Santa Rosa Band of Cahuilla Indians and Mt. San Jacinto College’s CARE and Phi Theta Kappa programs.

San Jacinto Unified School District counts on the Soboba Foundation to provide enough toys to bring a happy Christmas to 400 underserved families throughout the district’s eight elementary schools. Due to the volume of gifts involved, each year arrangements are made to fill a Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians’ bus with more than 1,000 toys which is unloaded during an “Unstuff the Bus” community event.

This was the 12^th year SJUSD has participated in the toy drive and the fourth year it was held at the district’s warehouse, where about 300 community volunteers met on Dec. 9 to unstuff the bus and store all the toys inside the district’s warehouse. It took about an hour for all the toys to be passed along the double rows of helpers to reach the hands of those inside who were sorting by age group and gender as they received each toy.

Placencia and some of his family members volunteered to help unstuff the bus and he said his favorite part is seeing all the smiling faces on those that also enjoy helping out.

The district hosted a toy distribution event on Dec. 14 for families to pick up a bag of toys for all the children in their household. Enrollment has grown since 2007 and the increase in toy donations has supported that growth.

“The venue is fully decorated and volunteers from the Hemet/San Jacinto Chamber of Commerce help with cookie and juice distribution and a chance to sit on Santa’s lap for a photo,” SJUSD’s Communications Coordinator Dawn Lawrence said. “It’s not just about the toys, but about family.”

Lawrence said that without Soboba’s support, the district would not be able to serve families in this way, adding that the district continues to have 82% of its student population classified in “low socioeconomic status.”

“This annual toy distribution is extremely important to our youngest students and their families,” Lawrence said. “I don’t know what we would do without Soboba’s help.”

Ruben Valdez, 9, was one of about 10 youths on board the bus who volunteered to remove all the toys.

“I like helping out because it’s for kids in need,” he said.

Jeff Penn, Executive Director of Cops 4 Kids & Communities, strives to build positive mentoring relationships between teens and members of the community through educational, athletic and leadership development programs. More than 25 of the program’s members were on hand to help unload the bus.

“We feel it is important for our youth members to give back to the community,” Penn said. “We want to make sure we are instilling the values in our youth members to help others – the whole idea of charity and philanthropy and giving first, and not expecting in return.”

Penn said that providing Christmas toys for children is a struggle for many low-income families and receiving toys from the “Soboba Gives Back!” program for the past seven years has been incredible.

“Through Soboba’s generous donation of toys, Cops 4 Kids & Communities has been able to serve hundreds of families in need by giving these toys to children during the holidays, where there might not be any otherwise,” Penn said. “On December 23 we will go to the high-poverty areas of our community and give out toys to kids of all ages. We hope that this act will empower kids to see beyond their circumstances.”

Soboba Foundation Vice President Dondi Silvas said being part of the event each year is an amazing feeling. “I also help collect the toys, and people often ask, “who gets the toys?,” and when they find out, they are really eager to help those less fortunate,” she said. “It’s a blessing to be able to give back.”

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Santa Claus may be coming to town next month, but the Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians, in partnership with the Soboba Foundation and Soboba Casino Resort, is bringing toys to children throughout the San Jacinto Valley through its annual toy drive starting Nov. 12.

“It is such a nice feeling to pull together as a community like this, and to help put a smile on a child’s face,” said Soboba Foundation President Geneva Mojado.

On each day of the drive, guests can bring one toy valued at $20-plus to receive a $40 voucher for free slot play at the beautiful new casino. Toys and receipts must be from a reputable store. The Soboba Gives Back Toy Drive will be held on Nov. 12, 19 and 26 and Dec. 3 from 12 to 8 p.m.

Toys will be collected at the SCR Event Center, which is at the east end of the complex at 22777 Soboba Road in San Jacinto. Volunteers will be on hand throughout the collection period to assist those who come in. The casino is accessible from the Event Center.

Information, 866-4-SOBOBA or SOBOBA.com.

More than 6,000 toys were distributed to selected nonprofits during last year’s Soboba Gives Back Toy Drive.

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