Community Corner

Why They Do It: Sheri and Bill Brown, and the Cookson Hills Toy Run

Sheri Brown, with her husband, Bill, talk in this video about the motivation behind their efforts to organize the Cookson Hills Toy Run. On hand at this year's run were representatives from Liberty Manor, with a certificate of recognition.

 

Representatives from Liberty Manor for Veterans took time to pay tribue to Sheri and Bill Brown at the 19th annual Cookson Hills Toy Run in Seffner on Dec. 2.

Following the brief awards presentation, the Browns talked about the reasoning behind the Cookson Hills Toy Run, a 20-mile trek that begins at the Veterans Memorial Park and Museum in Tampa and ends at Evans Park, adjacent to Burnett Middle School.

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Bill Brown noted:

"The mission is to find kids that are falling through the cracks and aren't going to get any Christmas and give them a little bit of hope and joy, to teach them to give so in future years there'll be people giving, and maybe we'll change one or two lives today and that will make a big difference in the future."

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Added Sheri Brown:

"We find seniors and veterans and special needs people of all ages who are also falling through the cracks. They all deserve our generosity and making sure that they have a nice Chirstmas, too, so we invite all of them [to the Cookson Hills Toy Run to receive gifts]."

For 19 years the Browns have been organizing, running and advertising the toy run, which calls upon motorcyclists to ride bearing holiday gifts in a show of compassionate solidarity for special needs people of all ages and now, as well, seniors, veterans with no family and the “forgotten children” of eastern Hillsborough County.

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Liberty Manor for Veterans, founded by Connie Blaney, provides residential housing for veterans who otherwise might be homeless. On hand for the recognition at Evans Park were Blaney, Liberty Manor's chief executive officer, and Jeff Luddeke, the group's executive director.

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Liberty Manor for Veterans in 2012 was a finalist for Temple Terrace Business of the Year, an awards program run by the Greater Temple Terrace Chamber of Commerce.

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