Doug Sargent, toy drive organizer, focus of memorial
A memorial on Saturday in Toronto will celebrate the life and generosity of Doug Sargent, described as a driving force behind the Toronto Fire Fighters Toy Drive.
Under the leadership of Sargent – known to many as Sarge – the annual toy drive collected toys for hundreds of thousands of needy children.
"We can see Doug's ghost walking the halls here. He's here all the time as far as I'm concerned," said Ray Easby, a retired Toronto Fire district chief.
Speaking to CBC in a warehouse filled with toys, a smiling Easby shared remembrances of his best friend who died two weeks ago after a battle with prostate cancer.
Sargent retired as a district chief more than a decade ago and took on the toy drive full time, Easby said.
"That's what we are here for," he said. "That's Doug's legacy."
Since it began in the 1960s, the toy drive has had different names -- Operation Christmas Tree, The Gift of Christmas, the Christmas Wish, Easby said the core mission has remained the same.
"We don't turn anyone away. If someone is need, we always help them out," he said.
The goal has always been to help families and children left with nothing after a fire, he said.
"We provide them with toys, anything that might make them feel better."
Dozens of organizations have received toys from the warehouse, but Sargent didn't just focus on helping children in Toronto, Easby said.
Toys were also sent to emergency situations around the world including Bosnia, Haiti and New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, he said.
