Greater Nevada Credit Union, Reno Aces donate to Holiday with a Hero

Carson City’s Holiday with a Hero received more than 200 toys to distribute thanks to Greater Nevada Credit Union and The Reno Aces.

The two organizations presented Carson City Sheriff Ken Furlong and Holiday with a Hero organizer Sgt. Daniel Gonzales with the hundreds of toys Friday at Greater Nevada Credit Union. The toys were provided to the Reno Aces by JAKKS Pacific, Inc. and were donated to Holiday with a Hero and other programs in surrounding areas.

“We partnered with the Aces and they had a bunch of toys donated and wanted to distribute some outside of Washoe County,” said Kerstin Plemel, vice president of marketing for Greater Nevada Credit Union. “We love our law enforcement and the Sheriff’s Office. We know about their work with Holiday with a Hero and all of the other great things they do for the kids in our community.”

Holiday with a Hero is an annual event put on by the public safety agencies in Carson that takes elementary and middle school students in the McKinney-Vento Students in Transition program shopping for Christmas.

The officers met with the Aces mascot Archie and the employees at Greater Nevada Credit Union to transport the toys back to the Sheriff’s Office. Dolls, dump trucks and princess dresses were packed up and placed inside several patrol vehicles to be distributed at Holiday with a Hero Wednesday.

“This is like being at the North Pole and we are like Santa’s elves,” Furlong said as they loaded the toys into the vehicles.

Gonzales said they’re so thankful for the partnership with the community where they have people wanting to donate to their program.

“Without the support from the community (we couldn’t do this),” said Gonazles. “It takes an army to pull off an event like this. To take 240 kids shopping it is literally all hands on deck.”

“It is an honor for them to have chosen us to be able to distribute the toys to the kids.”