Hagadone Marine Group kicks off holiday Gift Drive

Hagadone Marine Group has launched its annual Christmas gift drive.

Every year, the Marine Group teams up with the community to gather gifts for a local nonprofit organization. This year, Hagadone Marine is hosting a gift drive benefiting The Children’s Village as well as a book drive for Books for Tots.

“At Hagadone Marine Group, we care about creating great memories and we believe everyone in our community should be able to make memories on Christmas morning,” said Laura Wilson, who has led Hagadone Marine Group’s holiday program for seven years.

Her passion for the holidays coupled with her attention to detail has helped Hagadone Marine Group create some thoughtful holiday programs over the years and especially with this year’s Book Boat and three Gift Drive Trees.

“It’s an honor to help the children at The Children’s Village and with Books for Tots have a magical holiday season," Wilson said.

Hagadone Marine team members as well as local community members are invited to participate in this special event.

The Children’s Village is a local care facility that provides a safe haven for children who have been abused, neglected, or are in severe family crisis.

The Hagadone Marine Group team has set up three Children’s Village trees in their lobby, with one dedicated to The Crisis Nursery Tree (Ages 0-4), the Elementary Tree (Ages 5-11), and The Teen Tree (Ages 12-18).

Each tree is decorated with ornament tags that include the child’s gender and a specific gift or item the child wants and/or needs.

Participants can grab a tag and go shopping for the item listed on a tag. The Marine Offices, 1000 South Marina Drive, are open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Once the shopping is complete, the unwrapped gifts can then be returned to Hagadone Marine, with the original tree tag attached, by Dec. 10. Then the elves at Hagadone Marine Group will load them up and deliver the gifts to the Children’s Village on Dec. 11.

Hagadone Marine Group has also added a “Book Boat” in its lobby. While you’re out, grab a book for any age and bring it back to donate to the Book Boat benefitting the local “Books for Tots” Program.

The Hagadone Marine Team is going to try to fill the Cobalt Boat in their lobby with books.

It is requested that books are purchased new.

Hagadone Marine elves will deliver the donated books to The Well Read Moose on Dec. 11, so please have book donations to the HMG offices by Dec. 10.