Businessman, Golfer Tees Up $10,000 for Toys for Tots

A businessman had participated in the local charity golf tournament that supports Toys for Tots in years past—and he was amazed by the scope of the effort to collect toys for families in need.

Last year, the North Atlanta Marine Toys for Tots collected 714,000 toys that were handed out to 320,000 kids in the 18-county metro area, said Tom McDermott, a Norcross resident who organizes the golf tournament at as a part of the effort.  

So this year, Rick Wells, who owns a controlling share in Magnolia Plastics in Doraville, asked McDermott what the cost might be for the operations of the Toys for Tots project. After digging around a bit, McDermott came back with a neat figure: $10,000 for storing the toys, getting trucks to distribute them and other overhead costs.

Wells said his business would cover it. “That way 100 percent of the money donated goes to the toys as opposed to just some of it,” he said. “Our roll is extremely small,” added Wells, who is very modest about his business’s sponsorship of the program this year.

Wells said he has worked hard to be successful in his business but it is only natural to give back. He said he thinks about the Bible verse, “To whom much is given, of him much will be expected.”

“If you are blessed, you should pay in forward,” he said recently as he drove from his Chattanooga home to his office in Doraville. (Wells commutes to the office a few days a week and also telecommutes.)

Perhaps the instinct to help those in need around the holidays came from a deeper place: As a kid he said he used to put together bikes with his family for kids in need.  Also, the Toys for Tots effort is sponsored by the Marines, and the businessman has several friends that are Marines. 

Now that that’s out of the way, Wells better work on his swing: He’s playing in this weekend’s tournament, of course.

The 4th Annual Toys for Tots Golf Tournament will be held at Berkeley Hills Country Club in Duluth on Nov. 14. For more information contact Tom McDermott via email before Nov. 9. The event is sponsored by the Greater Norcross Golfer's Association.