Teenager establishes foundation to deliver toys
By Joanne Fox, Journal staff writer | Posted: Monday, December 17, 2007
With a grin the size of crescent moon, Jake Ferris peeked out among the array of stuffed toys overflowing the couch at his house.
None of them belonged to him.
Instead, these items will find their way into the arms of hospitalized children this Christmas, courtesy of this 13-year-old boy.
Last year Jake and his good friend Hunter Carpenter were playing the novelty machine at Steinbeck's Pub in Leeds which features a "claw" or "crane" that the player manipulates to grab a toy. The boys were doing fairly well at capturing the merchandise.
"I'll bet we got seven toys in a row while we were playing," Jake explained. "It got me thinking."
It was a combination of seeing those toys, thinking about kids in the hospital over Christmas and remembering organizations that donate to others that converged in Jake's young mind.
"I thought about athletes that establish foundations to help kids and places like St. Jude's (Children's Research Hospital) and Make-A-Wish," he said. "Then, I thought why not set up my own foundation and give kids in the hospital over Christmas toys."
Jake shared the idea with Steinbeck's owner Tim Steinhauer who enlisted the aid of his mom Carleen Steinhauer, who manages the neighborhood pub.
"Jake felt very strongly about doing something for children who were in the hospital over Christmas, who couldn't be home with their parents, and that something should be done for them," she said. "When Tim presented the idea to me of collecting toys, I said, 'We can help with that.'"
Steinhauer talked to Ace Leiding, general manager of River City Amusement Company, which distributes the machines, to help him get the word out about the newly established Jake Ferris Foundation through posters in participating businesses.
"We went down to L&L Distributing and asked if they could help us with posters that we could display at our accounts which have the crane machines," Leiding said. "We also gave the businesses a large plastic garbage bag for the donated toys."
Jake also had friends and classmates who heard about his project donating merchandise.
The response to Jake's idea was beyond his comprehension when garbage bags holding hundreds of toys brimmed over with the donated items.
"I didn't dream it would be like this," he said. "I had set a goal of 50 toys and I was just blown out of the water by the response."
"We had already planned on donating some of the toys we buy in bulk to make sure Jake met his goal," Leiding said. "We were surprised at the response as well."
"Who would've thought that monkeying around with some silly claw machine would lead to this?" observed dad Jim Ferris. "Everybody kind of stepped up to the plate and responded. It was kind of neat to see it all happen."
Jake took the 600 toys up to the two Sioux City hospitals and also included Children's Hospital in Omaha.
"I think that was somebody knew somebody who knew somebody," recalled Jim Ferris of the Omaha connection.
"I think it was part of Jake's mission to make sure the toys were distributed to kids who would really appreciate them," Jake's sister Sara added.
Jake sat in his living room demonstrating the skills needed to capture a toy out of a claw machine.
"It's all about patience," he said, as he moved his right hand back and forth in a motion duplicating the approach. "You have to wait that one second, and then press the button to release the claw."
Then, he eased back into the loveseat and added, "It also depends on the animal's position."
And if you wonder how Jake gets the money to play the machines, a lot of that is courtesy of Steinbeck's customers who just give him a roll of quarters and tell him, "Good luck," he said.
"The other day I was trying to get Minnie Mouse and I landed the claw just right and got her and a snowman," he said. "I've never had that happen before."
According to Steinhauer, it appears that this year's response to Jake's toy drive will match last year.
"We're lucky we could store them in our back room here," she said. "But I just sent a bag with about 60 toys over to the Ferrises because we are out of room already."
With characters from Disney to Hanna-Barbera to Looney Toons to Christmas, Jake is making plans for the toy distribution this weekend. But was there one that the North Middle School seventh-grader would have liked for himself?
"Krusty the Clown," he said without hesitation, and snatched him up from his place next to Homer Simpson. "This is one I would have liked for myself."
Then he shot his dad a look and said pointedly, "I wouldn't mind the Simpsons movie for Christmas."
"I didn't know they made such things," his dad responded dryly.
VITA
Name: Jake Ferris
Hometown: Sioux City
Education: Seventh-grader at North Middle School
Personal: Son of Jim and Deb Ferris; one sister Sara; one brother Alex
How he's making a difference: By establishing the Jake Ferris Foundation which for the past two years distributes toys to hospitalized children.
None of them belonged to him.
Instead, these items will find their way into the arms of hospitalized children this Christmas, courtesy of this 13-year-old boy.
Last year Jake and his good friend Hunter Carpenter were playing the novelty machine at Steinbeck's Pub in Leeds which features a "claw" or "crane" that the player manipulates to grab a toy. The boys were doing fairly well at capturing the merchandise.
"I'll bet we got seven toys in a row while we were playing," Jake explained. "It got me thinking."
It was a combination of seeing those toys, thinking about kids in the hospital over Christmas and remembering organizations that donate to others that converged in Jake's young mind.
"I thought about athletes that establish foundations to help kids and places like St. Jude's (Children's Research Hospital) and Make-A-Wish," he said. "Then, I thought why not set up my own foundation and give kids in the hospital over Christmas toys."
Jake shared the idea with Steinbeck's owner Tim Steinhauer who enlisted the aid of his mom Carleen Steinhauer, who manages the neighborhood pub.
"Jake felt very strongly about doing something for children who were in the hospital over Christmas, who couldn't be home with their parents, and that something should be done for them," she said. "When Tim presented the idea to me of collecting toys, I said, 'We can help with that.'"
Steinhauer talked to Ace Leiding, general manager of River City Amusement Company, which distributes the machines, to help him get the word out about the newly established Jake Ferris Foundation through posters in participating businesses.
"We went down to L&L Distributing and asked if they could help us with posters that we could display at our accounts which have the crane machines," Leiding said. "We also gave the businesses a large plastic garbage bag for the donated toys."
Jake also had friends and classmates who heard about his project donating merchandise.
The response to Jake's idea was beyond his comprehension when garbage bags holding hundreds of toys brimmed over with the donated items.
"I didn't dream it would be like this," he said. "I had set a goal of 50 toys and I was just blown out of the water by the response."
"We had already planned on donating some of the toys we buy in bulk to make sure Jake met his goal," Leiding said. "We were surprised at the response as well."
"Who would've thought that monkeying around with some silly claw machine would lead to this?" observed dad Jim Ferris. "Everybody kind of stepped up to the plate and responded. It was kind of neat to see it all happen."
Jake took the 600 toys up to the two Sioux City hospitals and also included Children's Hospital in Omaha.
"I think that was somebody knew somebody who knew somebody," recalled Jim Ferris of the Omaha connection.
"I think it was part of Jake's mission to make sure the toys were distributed to kids who would really appreciate them," Jake's sister Sara added.
Jake sat in his living room demonstrating the skills needed to capture a toy out of a claw machine.
"It's all about patience," he said, as he moved his right hand back and forth in a motion duplicating the approach. "You have to wait that one second, and then press the button to release the claw."
Then, he eased back into the loveseat and added, "It also depends on the animal's position."
And if you wonder how Jake gets the money to play the machines, a lot of that is courtesy of Steinbeck's customers who just give him a roll of quarters and tell him, "Good luck," he said.
"The other day I was trying to get Minnie Mouse and I landed the claw just right and got her and a snowman," he said. "I've never had that happen before."
According to Steinhauer, it appears that this year's response to Jake's toy drive will match last year.
"We're lucky we could store them in our back room here," she said. "But I just sent a bag with about 60 toys over to the Ferrises because we are out of room already."
With characters from Disney to Hanna-Barbera to Looney Toons to Christmas, Jake is making plans for the toy distribution this weekend. But was there one that the North Middle School seventh-grader would have liked for himself?
"Krusty the Clown," he said without hesitation, and snatched him up from his place next to Homer Simpson. "This is one I would have liked for myself."
Then he shot his dad a look and said pointedly, "I wouldn't mind the Simpsons movie for Christmas."
"I didn't know they made such things," his dad responded dryly.
VITA
Name: Jake Ferris
Hometown: Sioux City
Education: Seventh-grader at North Middle School
Personal: Son of Jim and Deb Ferris; one sister Sara; one brother Alex
How he's making a difference: By establishing the Jake Ferris Foundation which for the past two years distributes toys to hospitalized children.
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To Jake... wrote on Dec 17, 2007 12:17 PM:
Chloe wrote on Dec 17, 2007 10:39 AM:
Way to go! wrote on Dec 17, 2007 2:12 AM: