Come one, come all this weekend to the Goodyear blimp hangar at 841 Wingfoot Lake Road, Suffield Township, not only to give a toy for needy children in time for Christmas, but also to view an important part of local history.“The Goodyear Blimp/Santa Claus Express and the United States Marine Corps Reserve will conduct a joint maneuver to benefit the Toys for Tots Foundation at the blimp base in Suffield, Ohio, Dec. 9, 10 and 11,” Goodyear blimp operations spokesman Ed Ogden said in a news release.Last year, 1,700 cars drove through the Wingfoot Lake hangar, dropping off 3,762 toys and $2,239 in cash.“The inside of the hangar and the blimp will be decorated in the Christmas spirit and Santa Claus will be on hand to wave and wish everyone a Merry Christmas,” Ogden said. “Marines in dress blues will be on hand to collect and organize the toys for distribution to needy children in the area.”The Marine Corps Reserve’s Toys for Tots, which dates back to 1948, collects new, unwrapped toys and cash from October through mid-December to distribute as Christmas gifts to needy children.The hangar will be open for drive-through traffic only and at no charge during these hours: 1 to 9 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. Similar events are being staged at Goodyear blimp bases in Pompano Beach, Fla., and Carson, Calif.For more information, please visit www.goodyearblimp.com or www.facebook.com/GoodyearBlimp.Cleaning up North HillAll on his own, Marvin Grether began doing his part to clean up Akron. It’s a sweet story that Micah Sonntag shared with me:“Two brothers, Gary and Marvin, and I started walking for exercise. Gary is Marvin’s caregiver and younger brother.“When we started walking, Marvin, who is developmentally disabled, whom I’m a caregiver for, too … started cleaning, picking up litter as we walked. We learned real fast to bring a bag with us because the first walks we were walking with arms full of debris found on the sidewalk, curb, or street. We have been picking up trash from around our house in North Hill and a few of the Metro Parks in the area.“Marvin,” Sonntag continued, “is special because he was misdiagnosed in the 1960s and was put in Hawthornden, a state hospital, when patients had no rights. He was locked away from us for four years and when released was a shell of the person he once was. His proper diagnosis was later tested to be Tourette’s syndrome and possibly a touch of autism.“There is so much more to his story, but I found it to be inspirational that even after all he has gone through, he still cares about where he lives and pitches in to help clean it without being asked.”Three cheers for Marvin, a fifth-generation Akronite.Fund It ForwardThe beauty of parents like Jackie Smolinski and Rose Morris is that after they struggled to find the help and funds to address equipment needs and other things insurance wouldn’t cover for their special needs children, they’re willing to help other parents with similar battles.The women formed a nonprofit called Fund It Forward, which “operates on a pay-it-forward model, which means that volunteers fund-raise for future needs,” Smolinski noted. The goal is to build a network of volunteers who want to see the special needs community receive the support they need to ease their minds and lessen their burden.” That’s locally and nationally.One of the parents on board with Fund it Forward is Krystin Dailey of Cuyahoga Falls. She’s helping raise money to purchase a safety sleeper, estimated at $1,600, for her special-needs son, Jacob.“Jacob, who is prone to sleepwalking, wandered from his bed in the middle of the night,” Smolinski said. “He was returned to them safe and sound after a good Samaritan called the police. However, she realizes the next time things could be a lot worse.”Interested in helping the Dailey family and others like them? You can send a tax-deductible donation to Fund it Forward, P.O. Box 1113, Norton, OH 44203 or log on to the website www.funditfwd.org.Hoban collects foodThree big cheers for Akron’s Archbishop Hoban High School for collecting 40,568 units of nonperishable food for the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank and 12 other organizations. “The canned food drive is Hoban’s longest running charitable activity,” Hoban spokesman Shaun Eberle said. “Students and teachers started to collect donations Nov. 1, and the drive continued until the week of Thanksgiving.“In addition to collecting food, items like powdered baby formula, baby food and giant chocolate bars are collected for special delivery. All the donated baby formula and food goes to Pregnancy Care on Tallmadge Avenue. The giant chocolate bars and a selection of canned vegetables go to Victim Assistance and their holiday baskets.”Greg Milo’s Honors World Cultures class donated 10,619 cans. The senior class earned bragging rights, bringing in 15,284 items. Sophomores were second with 14,647.Toy benefit for familyFirehouse Grille & Pub at 2097 Front St., Cuyahoga Falls, is sponsoring “Tips for Tots,” a benefit to help a local family buy gifts for their six children and to help them pay their bills, on Monday.The restaurant will sell Dalmatian wall hangings for $1, and gift baskets with golf outings, autographed Browns jerseys and tickets, tennis lessons and equipment, salon visits and more. Santa will be there between 6 and 8 p.m. All of the wait staff will donate 100 percent of its tips, and the kitchen staff is donating its pay to the cause.Hard Hats and HeelsKent State University’s Habitat for Humanity’s program is teaming with professors from the Shannon Rodgers and Jerry Silverman School of Fashion Design and Merchandising to host “Hard Hats and Heels” featuring the school’s Fashion Visuals Class at 8 p.m. Saturday in the Student Center Ballroom.On the runway will be student-produced garments, handmade from recycled materials only. All proceeds go to Habitat for Humanity’s mission to help the homeless in Portage County. Cost is $7 at the door.Jewell Cardwell can be reached 330-996-3567 or emailed at jcardwell@thebeaconjournal.com