One local business owner went out of her way to help my son with his Eagle Scout project of collecting new and used books for charitable organizations.

Blanche, the owner of Tree Top Toys, is that person. Out of 14 stores we contacted to ask permission to set up a donation box and solicit for books, Tree Top Toys was the only one who said “yes.”

The “yes” didn’t just mean that my son could put his poster, collection box and volunteers there for a total of eight hours on two Saturdays; it meant that Blanche and her employees would distribute flyers advertising the book collection and collect books inside her store from her customers for an entire week. It also meant that Blanche would give pointers on how to greet customers and make the poster stand out. And she did all of this with enthusiasm and a smile.

So, thank you, Blanche and Tree Top Toys.  With your help, my soon-to-be Eagle Scout collected over 1,500 books that will benefit children in the Puget Sound region, Vietnam and Kenya.

Natalie Delano, Redmond