In just seven years, the Black Tie Affair supporting the Northside Toy Drive has grown into one of the most popular events of the Christmas season in Amarillo.
Friday night, they expect to collect enough toys to make a merry Christmas for more than 1,000 children.
Allison Roberts, the vice-president of the board for the toy drive, said it all started with a group of young professionals, who meet regularly for happy hour, deciding to do something nice for kids.
"We thought, ‘Let's bring toys when we come for happy hour and give them to a group of children for Christmas,’ and it just kept getting bigger, until now. I like to call it a party with purpose," Roberts said.
And what a party it is. People dressed to the nines for a celebration with the simple admission cost of an unwrapped toy.
It's quite a sight to see the collection grow, but Bowden Jones, Junior, who’s been part of the toy drive since its inception, says it's only the beginning of an amazing weekend that changes families’ lives.
"The real meat of this, and the real fun is being able to impact not only a child's life, but a parent's life, who is working extremely hard to make ends meet, and isn't always able to do it and Christmas is sometimes not in the budget," he said.
That happens Saturday at Palo Duro High School. Board members and a host of volunteers open the gym, and the families make their way inside for the toy giveaway. Hugh E. Session, Jr., another board member who’s been with the program since the start, says it’s a stunning sight to see children make their way through a virtual sea of toys.
"You see a child go out and pick up the smallest thing, that's next to the biggest thing, and you realize, it's not about the toy. It's about the overwhelming sense that, ‘Someone cared about me, and here I am, in my moment, and my time, and I don't have any restraints or constraints, and I could just get what I want.’ It's touching," Session said.
"The most impact that I've had so far has been when I leave, and I see little kids in the neighborhood riding their bikes or something, that they've chosen from the event. It's really touching," Roberts said.
"I remember a lady coming up to me at the giveaway, and she had tears in her eyes, and she said, ‘I appreciate you guys so much. If it wasn't for this, we wouldn't have Christmas,’", Jones said.
The Black Tie Affair is Friday, December 20, at the Civic Center's Heritage Ballroom. It starts at 7 p.m. and ends at midnight. There will be live music, food, drink, and casino games. Just bring an unwrapped toy for admission and join the fun.
You can also show up Saturday at 1 p.m. at Palo Duro High School and help with the toy giveaway.