The Sun City Posse and elves from Santa’s Workshop at Royal Oaks LifePlan Community are collaborating to provide strikingly designed wood toys for youngsters who call the community of Aguila home.

The impetus for Royal Oaks participation in this year’s toy drive came from Posse member and Royals Oaks resident Lorraine McMahon who promoted the idea of handmade toys by skilled artisans for the youngsters. Earlier this year, she presented the idea to Posse Cmdr. Sarah Davis, who approved it.

“I think this is a wonderful addition to our toy drive and the youngsters are going to love the wooden toys,” Davis said.

McMahon then took the idea to Royal Oaks resident toymaker and chief elf Jimmy Smith who oversaw the project.

“We made more than 140 toys that included elephants, ponies, ducks, and turtles,” he said.

The Posse’s “Mission of Joy” toy drive is held each year in cooperation with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Department. For the past few years, Sun City residents have given toys and clothing to the students in Aguila, which is nearly 70 miles from Phoenix. It is a small community with about 800 residents. Cantaloupe farming appears to be its staple crop. It is a poor community and the per capita income is around $30,000. The percentage of people living in poverty is more than 60 percent.

Because of that hardscrabble life, the Posse, the MCSO and now the woodworkers of Royal Oaks have taken the lead in helping youngsters who live in the community. But this is not the first-time Posse members have helped Aguila. In the past the Posse also promoted a back-to-school drive that saw the group turning over boxes and boxes of school supplies to the MCSO. The “Mission of Joy” and School Supply fundraisers have grown so large and been so successful that the MSCO has added additional communities to the drive so more youngsters’ benefit. Each year, the Posse kicks off the drive in November and this year is no exception

Giving of their time and talent is not a new concept for the nearly 12-member team of craftsmen at Royal Oaks who applied their talents and skills to making the toys. And even though they truly do not look like Santa’s elves, they have the spirit and kindness of Christmas in their hearts. The idea of making toys and giving them away began in 2011, since then they have produced more than 20,000 wooden toys; which amounts to about 2,000 per year.

“We donate them to several charities here in Arizona and schools,” Smith said.

The chief elf said that toys are cut out of wood, sanded and then turned over to his wife Claudia Smith, whose group of artists’ paints them.

“We are donating more than 140 toys to the Posse to be given to the students,” Smith said.

During the Covid 19 Pandemic, several members of the wood shop built desks for each of the Royal Oaks workers whose children were learning online and at home instead of in the classroom.

The Royal Oaks wood shop is a sophisticated operation that recently acquired a computer numeric controlled machine that creates parts and components by guiding tools such as routers via computer instructions that controls the precision of the tools. The acquisition was through the efforts of the People of the Faith Foundation at Royal Oaks, which kicked off a fundraiser earlier this year that raised more than $13,000 from its residents.

“We are truly blessed,” said Royal Oak’s Director of Development Chuck Tholen. “We put out the word about all of the talented people and the wonderful things they have done not only for our residents, but for the community at large and our residents generously gave to the fundraiser.”

Once the “Mission of Joy” toy fund drive is complete later this year, a contingent of posse members, along with members of the MCSO department, will deliver the toys to the town prior to the holiday.