Over a thousand needy children in Shreveport and Bossier Parish will have a much brighter Christmas this year -- thanks to your generosity. Operation Santa Claus Program Coordinator Jeff Williams says your contributions of toys -- and cash to buy toys -- have made this year's program a success.

Now, the Bossier Parish deputies and Shreveport fire fighters and police officers who nominated children for the program will be picking up and delivering the toys to those children. Deliveries start at 8 a.m. Thursday morning.

Operation Santa Claus is a three-way collaboration. It involves, first of all, the men and women of the Shreveport Fire and Police Departments and the Bossier Parish Sheriff's Office. They nominate children for the program based on the needs they see every day and then deliver the toys those children want after they've been collected.

The next part of the equation is you, our listeners, who donate toys or the cash we need to buy toys.

The final link in the chain is our six Townsquare Media radio stations which act as the conduit to solicit contributions and serve as the gathering and distribution point for all of the toys as they come in.

From all of us at Townsquare Media -- and all of the police officers, fire fighters, and deputies who have participated -- a hearty "thank you" for a job well done. May you have a Christmas as bright as the one you've helped make for these children

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