The season of giving for Reed Marcum doesn’t just happen during Christmas. For this 19-year, the season of giving is year-round.
“I came up with the idea back in 2016 when I realized that I wanted to help put another toy under someone’s tree that year,” says Marcum, who’s now a Pittsburg County, Oklahoma 4-H Ambassador.
At just 11 years-old, this 4-H member had an idea: Collect toys and give them out to children in his local community.
“He came home one day, he talked to me and his stepfather, and he said, ‘Mom, I want to help some kiddos in my class for Christmas,” remembers Angie Miller, Reed’s mother. “I said, ‘OK, what can we do?’ I told him he could do a little work, and he was like, ‘No, I want to give out toys.”
Started Out As a Small Idea
That first year, Reed’s small idea turned into a huge success, giving out around 5,000 toys at his stepfather’s law office. Little did this family know that was just the start of something grand.
“It was something we didn’t expect to do, especially have that much success and community reaction. They really loved it. We did not expect that,” Reed says.
J Michael Miller Toy Drive
What’s called the J Michael Miller Toy Drive has grown each year, even during COVID.
“What happened was COVID hit, and we had told Reed that it just can’t happen that year. And he said, ‘It can happen, Mom,’” Angie says.
And it did. With the help of the community, Reed moved the toy drive to Ragan’s Auto, a decision that helped this drive grow even more.
“He spoke with Mr. Ragan, and he told Reed we can do this. They moved all their cars out by noon that day. We moved in around 1:00, and we would set up all night long, and then we open the doors, they would start driving through,” Angie says.
Within a couple years, they even outgrew that space. Last year, Reed moved his toy drive again, this time, to the McAlester Expo Center.
“We are orchestrating with the local Expo Center here in McAlester for people to come, and it’s just an amazing venue for what we’re doing here. And it’s an amazing process that we have to set up and do,” Reed says.
Biggest Toy Giveaway Yet
On Dec. 7, 2024, Reed had his biggest giveaway yet.
“We collected a ton, but we were able to give out around 13,000 this year, that day,” Reed says.
What started as one small idea has brought generosity through toys that touched 13,000 lives this year alone.
“It’s a year-long process,” Angie says. “The entire year we’re looking for toys, collecting them and getting donations from people. But when the day gets near and close, it really starts to ramp up.”
Recipients Come From Surrounding States
Since 2016, this toy drive has given away more than 64,000 toys, an annual event that people wait in line for hours to receive. And as the event grows each year, lines of cars that now stretch three to four miles long, all with kids eager to receive toys that year.
“I was working the line this year, and we did see license plates from Texas and Arkansas. That’s normal,” says Greg Owen, Pittsburg County, Oklahoma 4-H educator. “I would ask the people in the line, ‘What was the experience like?’ And this year, I heard the comment ‘It was literally perfect.’”
Vital Volunteers
But for Reed, this wouldn’t be possible without volunteers, all 100 of them.
“They can help us move the toys from point A to point B when we’re holding them or in help, give the toys, help, walk the line, be dressed up in costumes to help entertain the kids, give out small items that go through the lines. The kids aren’t just sitting there bored,” Reed says.
Loss Turned Into Love
Reed’s toy drive has become a beloved experience attracting thousands of people from miles away. But this kid who has brought so much joy to others has also seen heartache along the way.
“He had the most difficult year of his life his junior year,” Angie says. “We were moving to Ragan’s that year, and on July 28, he lost his grandmother that he was extremely close to.”
Not even four months later, Reed suffered another devastating loss, just weeks away from his toy drive in 2021.
“We were notified by soldiers that Reed’s brother had passed in the military,” Angie says. “I talked with Reed and I told him I didn’t think we can do the toy giveaway. And he said, ‘Mom, brother would want us to do the toy giveaway, so we’re going to do the toy giveaway.’”
And he did, with an entire community rallying around Reed as a way to give back to one of their own who had done so much.
“They helped us get it over to Ragan’s. We got it all set up. And then they just helped us all the way through it,” Angie says. “After that, Reed had already created the Hudson Strong Foundation for a little boy that had cancer. And they provided some help with the costs of the storage buildings. Then after his brother passed, Reed created the Sergeant Miles Tarron Foundation, and that supports his toy giveaway, his backpack giveaway and his silent auction. His brother always had a hand in supporting him and sending money. So, now the Sergeant Miles Tarron Foundation and the Hudson Strong Foundation support those storage buildings.”
Reed has nine storage buildings, all bursting with donated toys each year. But this success is also because of one lady Reed deeply admired: his 4-H leader, Miss Donna Curry.
“After he lost his brother, June 28, 2022, he lost Miss Donna Curry, who was like a second mother to him, who got him into 4-H, and she supported this project thoroughly,” Angie says.
Today, Reed doesn’t just give away toys. Miss Donna had another idea two years before she died: to give out pajamas, socks and undergarments to those in need.
“We named it Miss Donna’s Closet. And when they drive through the toy giveaway, they get the pajamas, they get socks, they get undergarments all through the toy line. They get snacks. And so when we lost Miss Donna, Reed promised at that point that he would carry her tradition on.”
Reed is Now Inspiring Others
Reed’s heart of service is always on display, and it’s now inspiring others.
“It’s literally the goal that we try to set for our 4-H members. We hope that they’ll develop a level of mastery in their project work, and for Reed, his project has been civic engagement,” Greg says. “And when they get to that point, we’ll hope we hope that they’ll utilize that to teach and impact others to follow in their footsteps, which is exactly what Reed has done.”
“That’s the best thing with 4-H; they always want you to strive to be the best version of yourself. And that’s something this project really does every year,” Reed says. “It’s not just staying the same or leveling out each year. It’s getting bigger and better than the last.”
True Gift of Giving
Reed’s one idea in 2016 continues to spread joy year-round, as it showcases the true gift of giving.
“Little 11-year-old Reed could never see such a thing happening, especially when I was so young and couldn’t even talk to a group of ten people, let alone do something like this. I never thought it would reach this,” Reed says.
“I always share this. That came from the idea of an 11-year-old child. That shows the impact of the 4-H program. That shows the impact of a student that wants to give, that wants to make a difference and wants to make a positive impact on their community,” Greg says.
Reed Accepts Donations Year-Round
In order to make the annual toy drive possible, Reed accepts donations year-round. If you’d like to contribute to the annual toy drive or Reed’s other service projects, you can donate here.
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