Dixie Cole, owner of Cole’s Corner Tap at 1227 NE Adams St., collected toys from patrons for Operation Sleigh Bell, a state-wide initiative launched in 1992.

A group of needy Peoria kids had Cole for Christmas from a donor that was apparently too naughty for another charity’s list.

For a third straight year, Dixie Cole, owner of Cole’s Corner Tap at 1227 NE Adams St., collected toys from patrons for Operation Sleigh Bell, a state-wide initiative launched in 1992 to provide struggling families a means to buy new toys for a few dollars.

Previously, Cole’s donation was dropped off at Cub Foods and forwarded to Laramie Street Baptist Church, which managed Peoria’s gift drive. In previous years, bar patrons gave around 200 toys, and by the first of December donations were taking up counter space and table tops.

“I didn’t know what happened at Cub Foods, but I couldn’t get hold of anyone, so I just called the church to do a drop off,” Cole said. “We were getting quite a few toys and I needed to get rid of some of them. I figured they’d take them.”

It turned out the Laramie St. Church minister had retired and this year’s Operation Sleighbell was being handled by Peoria’s Dayton Avenue Baptist Church.

That’s where Cole encountered a volunteer managing the toy drive.

Despite having been told of Cole’s Corner Tap and the generous donations that flowed from there, the unidentified volunteer turned Cole and the gifts away. The toys came from bar goers and the church would not accept gifts from a tavern.

“I told her, ‘No one would know where all these toys came from,'” Cole recalled, “and she said, ‘I would and I don’t agree with that.’ ”

Attempts to reach the volunteer and Dayton Avenue Baptist Church officials for comment were unsuccessful.

So the homeless dolls and toy cars and the blankets, hats and scarves accumulated at the tap. The number of gifts continued to grow after local media began publishing Cole’s dilemma.

“You wouldn’t believe the churches that called me and said they were sorry that church acted that way,” Cole said. “Even Laramie Church called and thanked us for everything we’d done and said they appreciated it.”

The toys continued to pile up at Cole’s Corner Tap so Dixie Cole made a call to Peoria Children’s Home, also known as The Children’s Home Association of Illinois.

Operation Sleighbell founder Pastor Rick Smith also phoned Cole as well to show his gratitude and express shock over the decision. “One guy came in and said he hadn’t been in a bar for 20 years, but he was so mad about what happened he wanted to donate,” Cole said.

The toys continued to pile up, many of which were geared for teenagers, so Cole made a call to an organization she’d considered before going with Operation Sleighbell — Peoria Children’s Home, also known as The Children’s Home Association of Illinois.

That organization offers children residential care, group homes, foster care, adoption and homeless services.

“They were more than happy to accept all the gifts,” Cole said. “They said they were having a bad year this year, I don’t know why. There are around 100 kids that live there.”

So on Dec. 16, Cole and her crew loaded up 230 gifts and dropped them off at the children’s home. That morning donations were still coming in as they packed up the sleigh.

“We had a guy here, Grover from Davis Ford in Canton. They got all the people at work to donate,” she said. “Grover came and he said, ‘We could only spend $400 …’  “

For whatever reason things took a turn this year for Cole’s Tap and Operation Sleighbells, chances are the gifts are much better off at the Children’s Home, where there was a need, she said.

“It makes people feel good to help at Christmas,” Cole said. “I was really mad at first, but then I thought, ‘You know what? Everything works out for a reason.'”

— Church turned down tavern’s gifts so Peoria children’s home gets windfall —