ORLANDO, Fla. – (Jan. 3, 2022) The Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) continues to support the region by spreading holiday cheer and giving back to local residents during the season of giving. The Center’s employees and service partners came together to support the Orange County Mayor’s Annual Toy Drive donating more than 100 toys to families in need across Orange County.

Additionally, the OCCC participated in Great Oaks Village’s 2021 Christmas Campaign – where employees gave in-kind donations and gifts on the children’s wish lists – totaling $1,480. An annual tradition for many OCCC employees, this program provides the residents at Great Oaks a joyful holiday season. Great Oaks Village, an Orange County residential foster group home, has served as a safety net for abused, neglected and abandoned children for close to a century.

With so many families still recovering from the pandemic, the donated books, board games, dolls and toys, meant a merrier season for many Orange County youth and family agencies. The Orange County Mayor’s Annual Toy Drive, first held in 2011, successfully distributed more than 9,500 donated toys and gifts for Orange County families this 2021 holiday season.

“I want to take the opportunity to acknowledge the generosity of our employees who demonstrate their care and compassion for our community by giving so generously to local families in need,” said OCCC Executive Director Mark Tester. “The work of Great Oaks Village and the Mayor’s Annual Toy Drive is vital in assisting some of our most vulnerable residents. Especially during the pandemic, it warms my heart that we can support local children and families during the holiday season.”

The OCCC looks forward to making a positive impact in the New Year and continuing to serve its community by fulfilling its mission of economic development by doing Business Better than Usual.

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About the Orange County Convention Center

The award-winning Orange County Convention Center provides approximately $3 billion in economic impact to Central Florida annually. In recent years, the Convention Center has averaged nearly 200 events, including 115 conventions and tradeshows that attract more than 1.5 million attendees to the region each year. For more information about the Orange County Convention Center, visit www.occc.net.