Registration now open for Dec. 6 events benefiting McHenry, Lake counties
FOX LAKE — Registration is open for the 14th annual Jeeps on the Run Toys for Tots Run — and for the sensational soiree that follows.
After all, it won’t be long before Halloween frights give way to holiday cheer, and few are more mindful of Santa’s approach than those who’ve helped fill his sleigh. During the Dec. 6 Jeeps on the Run Toys for Tots Run and after-party, coordinators are hoping hundreds more will join in that effort, and have a tremendous time in the process.
Visit jeepsontherun.com to register for the 14th annual event. Jeep ownership is required to participate in the run at $30 per vehicle. But it is NOT required to join in the post-run celebration, for which tickets are $5 each.
There’s also a Jeep raffle. Tickets are $20 each, also available at jeepsontherun.com. The winner will receive a pre-paid, three-year lease on a 2026 special America250 Jeep Wrangler edition.
The prize, valued at $23,000, is courtesy of premier event sponsor Ray Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram of Fox Lake, which to date has supplied JOTR with roughly $350,000 worth of Jeeps to raffle as well as cash contributions, said Mike Missak, president and founder of Jeeps on the Run.
“We can’t thank the Scarpelli family enough for all they’ve done to elevate this event,” said Missak, noting that, to date, JOTR has provided about $3 million to Toys for Tots and other charities, and more than 200,000 toys benefiting Lake and McHenry County kids in need. “In terms of total donations to the U.S. Marine Corps Toys for Tots program, this event has become one of the largest in the nation.”
Jeepers will gather starting about 8 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 6, in the parking lot of Ray Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, 23 Route 12, Fox Lake.
About 10 a.m., it’s off to the Lincolnshire Marriott Resort, 10 Marriott Drive, where the post-run celebration — open to all — kicks off at 11 a.m.
“We ask that everyone bring at least one new, unwrapped toy, but many absolutely stuff their vehicles” Missak said. “I’m always blown away by the generosity and sheer goodwill of our participants.”
The party at the expansive resort will feature live music by Carl Wockner, food, drink, raffles, scavenger hunts, Santa sightings, a U.S. Marines presence and more.
“This is a family friendly, fun and meaningful event that so many look forward to year after year,” said Ray Scarpelli Jr., president and dealer principal of Ray Auto Group, which also includes Ray Chevrolet. “It’s a pleasure to support it and to know that it has powerful outcomes.”
U.S. Marine Staff Sgt. Christine Watt, coordinator for this year’s Lake County Toys for Tots effort, said she has an intimate understanding of those outcomes.
“I grew up in Chicago,” Watt said. “I was a Toys for Tots kid.”
Last year, as assistant coordinator, Watt attended the Jeeps on the Run event in Lincolnshire, where semi-tractor trailers full of toys were collected.
“It was massive,” she said. “I had never heard of their program before, but when I actually saw it I was flabbergasted. I didn’t realize how far it reached and how much we would get.”
Event sponsorships remain available, starting at $350. For information, send an email to mike@jeepsontherun.com.
Click the “Keep in Touch” button and follow the prompts at jeepsontherun.com for all of the latest JOTR and Toys for Tots Run updates.