T-L Photo/MIRANDA SEBROSKI Belmont County Sheriff David Lucas, from front left, and Deputies Glen Moore, Robert Moore, Steve Forro, Tyler Grant, Brian Carpenter, Jason Weekley and Mike Sabol participate in Operation Toy Lift with others looking on from the background. The toy drive, held in conjunction with the Wheeling Police Department and other businesses and organizations, took place at the Ohio Valley Mall in St. Clairsville on Saturday.

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — Operation Toy Lift collected gifts for local children Saturday in it second year as a joint effort of the Belmont County Sheriff’s Department and Wheeling Police Department.

Volunteers at the event, held at the Ohio Valley Mall in St. Clairsville, collected toys and cash or check donations that will go toward purchasing toys for children in the region. The toy drive took place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in front of the Macy’s main entrance, but donations started coming in even before the effort got officially underway.

Belmont County Sheriff David Lucas said that last year’s event was a success and that he is happy to partner with the Wheeling Police Department for charitable effort.

“It really is a great idea, and I am glad that Belmont County can be a part of it,” Lucas said. “This is all about the kids in this area. We want to make sure everyone has a good Christmas.”

Wheeling Police Chief Shawn Schwertfeger said organizers started receiving donations before the drive had even started. Operation Toy Lift included well-known local personalities being lifted up by a bucket truck that was raised above the mall parking lot to draw attention to the project and attract people to come donate toys. Schwertfeger came up with the idea of holding a toy lift last year and adapted it from a program held by a police department he previously worked for in Virginia.

“It was a very popular program when I worked in the state of Virginia. It was very similar to this, and last year I wanted to get something up and running,” Schwertfeger said. “It was kind of last minute last year. I needed a venue, so I reached out to Sheriff (Dave) Lucas, and I thought this would be a great way to partner together two different law enforcement agencies from two different states. Even though it was thrown together quickly last year, it was very successful.

“The concept is, with Operation Toy Lift, someone gets up in the lift every 30 minutes and they wave to people to try to bring attention to this. You get some people up there and raise awareness,” he continued. “The goal is for people to drop off a toy or cash donation. I think it’s a great thing. It’s very cold out here, but it is all for a good cause.”

The police departments were not the only ones involved in making the toy lift a success. Members of the Cumberland Trail Fire District and Wheeling Fire Departments took part, and volunteers from the area helped with the program. Macy’s, Boscov’s, American Electric Power, iHeartRadio, A Special Wish Foundation and ICR Equipment Rental helped plan and operate the event. Candi Noble-Greathouse, Ohio Valley Mall marketing director, also attended the event to help.

The United Way of the Upper Ohio Valley identifies children to receive the gifts, and they are distributed from the sheriff’s satellite station at the mall. In the end, the toys go to children in need across several counties in the Ohio Valley.