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Spreading cheer: BeWell NM donates toys to Toys For Tots

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BeWell New Mexico employee Justine Peralta, left, holds a handful of toys while Color Wheel Toys employee Paula Jackson scans the items on Wednesday.
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U.S. Marine Gunnery Sgt. Channing Fiaseu, left, shops for toys at Color Wheel Toys on Wednesday.
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From left, BeWell NM Chief Operations Officer Brent Earnest carries a handful of toys past U.S. Marine Gunnery Sgt. Channing Fiaseu and fellow BeWell NM employee Justine Peralta at Color Wheel Toys on Wednesday.
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From left, BeWell NM employees Kim Olson, Alex Sanchez and Sean Pearson shop for toys at Color Wheel Toys on Wednesday.
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A box full of toys at Color Wheel Toys on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024.
Gino Gutierrez
Gino Gutierrez Podcast Editor
Published Modified

While Wednesday marked the day before Halloween, a group of nine BeWell NM employees stood outside Color Wheel Toys in Los Ranchos wearing Santa hats.

The employees were on a special mission: to spend $3,000 on toys to be donated to Toys For Tots. As Color Wheel Toys owner Keri Piehl opened the door to shopping, the employees filed in one-by-one and quickly began filling their arms with as many items as they could possibly hold.

Joining them on the shopping spree was Toys For Tots coordinator and U.S. Marine Gunnery Sgt. Channing Fiaseu. Wearing a Santa Claus hat, Fiaseu joined in the fun, picking out toys left and right for the children to enjoy. Three donation boxes were filled to the brim with new toys when the shopping was over.

"This was a great opportunity to shop local, help the kids in our community and have some fun as a team," said Alex Sanchez, chief experience officer at BeWell NM, the state's health insurance exchange.

holidays bewell nm color wheel toys good_news toys for tots toys
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