The inaugural “Clash of Christmas Heros” fundraising event organized by the city of Sedona will pit the Sedona Fire District against the Sedona Police Department through Monday, Dec. 23, with the goal of raising at least $1,500 from each agency for Sedona Toys for Tots. 

“The agency that raises the most donations will get bragging rights for the year and a ‘prize’ yet to be determined; however, the real winners are the kids and families that Toys for Tots will be able to provide for this year,” said SFD Risk Reduction Division Chief Dori Booth, who is leading the fire district’s side of the fundraiser. 

The money raised will be used to purchase toys for children ages seven to 16 because organizers say that fewer toys suitable for older children are donated at the drop-off bins. 

“We’ll be doing a social media campaign,” Booth said, adding that SPD Sgt. Raquel Oliver “is working on potentially doing some pop-up fundraising.”

“I’m really happy Booth came to me about it because I love community events,” Oliver said. “Hopefully we’ll do more things like that in the future, and we get out and about and we show our faces, and I think that’ll be fun. So maybe this is the start of something.” “It’s just a sibling rivalry,” Booth said. “It’s very similar to the military, where only the different branches can trash talk each other. But if somebody trash talks about [SPD] then we’re there to defend them.” 

Toys can also be dropped off at Fire Station 1 at 2860 Southwest Drive, Fire Station 3 at 125 Slide Rock Road in the Village of Oak Creek and Sedona City Hall at 102 Roadrunner Drive. 

This is the second recent interagency “Battle of the Badges” after Mingus Union High School hosted a charity basketball game between firefighters and police officers from departments across the Verde Valley on Oct. 26 to benefit the MUHS girls’ basketball team. 

The Sedona Winds Retirement Community also held its 16th annual diner to raise money for Sedona Toys for Tots on the evening of Monday, Dec. 2. 

“The funds raised are used to shop at Walmart for toys for all ages. They raised $3,500,” Sedona Toys for Tots coordinator Angela Thomas said. “The residents of Sedona Winds have invested in future generations year after year.” 

The city of Sedona will be hosting its second “Stuff the Bus” event on Tuesday, Dec. 10, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Posse Grounds Pavilion with the goal of filling a Sedona Shuttle bus with toys. 

For more information on Sedona Toys for Tots, visit sedona-az.toysfortots.org. Donations can be made on SFD’s behalf at tinyurl.com/bdfv2573 and on SPD’s behalf at tinyurl.com/ybwajeah.