The old adage “it is better to give than to receive” may not hold much weight these days, but for Adam Carson, during the holiday season, there is no greater gift.
Carson, who owns Carson Physical Therapy in Bryant, hosts an annual Christmas Potluck and Toy Drive at his office. All of the toys collected are then donated to Howard Perrin Elementary School in Benton.
The toys are collected and delivered to the school’s counselor, who will sort through them and deliver the toys to deserving children. Any leftover toys are then distributed to other schools.
“It is pretty magical,” Carson said. “When we load up those toys and take them over there, we make it a point to do it when we aren’t going to be bombarded by kids.
“But the look on the counselor’s face and knowing that somebody is going to have a better Christmas morning — it leaves you warm and fuzzy. It is very rewarding.”
Carson put up the office Christmas tree Nov. 25, and by the following Monday, there were already toys under the tree.
“It is easy to forget how blessed we are,” Carson said, “and that some people may not have the same opportunity.
“Some people think of all they are going to have on Christmas, but for somebody else, it may just be a day when they wake up, and it is just another day because of financial situations or whatever else is going on.
“Everybody deserves to have a merry Christmas.”
Carson said he never delivers the toys directly to the students, but he said it is not necessary for him to do so.
“I would love to see the kids’ expressions, but knowing that we have helped is enough,” Carson said. “I have no doubt it would be rewarding, but knowing that we have done something is enough for me.”
Carson graduated from Benton High School and studied at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia and the University of Central Arkansas in Conway, where he earned his master’s degree. He received his doctorate in physical therapy from the University of Saint Augustine for Health Services in Florida.
Carson worked at OrthoArkansas for three years, and in that time, the office would host an annual Christmas potluck.
“Where I used to work, it was a pretty big office, with about eight to 10 therapists and six front-desk and behind-the-scenes people,” Carson said, “but once I was out here on my own, it was just me and an office manager.
“I realized if I didn’t throw my own potluck, I wasn’t going to have a bunch of Christmas food to eat on.”
So Carson opened the event to the community, sending out invitations to former patients, clients and other area leaders.
“It just continued to grow, and about the third year, I decided we needed to do something with this,” Carson said. “We had all these people here, so the following year, we filled the treadmill up with toys.”
He said the way he does therapy, he doesn’t use the treadmill a lot, so it was just sitting there collecting dust — “just like the one at home where you hang your clothes. We did that for a couple years, but once we moved here to Bryant, we starting using an actual tree.”
Last year, Carson said, his team donated 500 toys — his biggest year yet.
“We need toys for elementary-age kids,” Carson said. “The toys that were coming in were geared more toward pre-K, first and second grade, as opposed to older kids.
“The younger kids’ toys are going to come in, but for the older ones, we have to hunt a little bit.”
Carson, who has two daughters, Olivia, 13, and Noelle, 10, said once girls get a little older, “they want scarves, gloves and lip gloss.
“For the older boys, I’m not sure what they want. A ball is always good, but a real ball as opposed to a Superman kick ball that a 4- or 5-year-old would get.”
The final day to drop off toys at the office, at 3231 Main St. in Bryant, is Wednesday.
Toby Hirscheider, the office manager in Bryant, has helped collect toys since the very beginning.
“Adam has a generous soul,” Hirscheider said. “He comes through it honestly from his mom and dad. They are both good people.
“Adam is the kind of person, if he can help someone, he is going to do it. He’s helped me before. He’s a great friend, not just a boss.”
Carson said he remembers as a kid helping with some things at church and helping with the Churches Joint Council on Human Needs, or CJCOHN.
“I remember my mom’s Sunday School class helping out someone at Christmas, and I can remember Angel Tree-type things,” said Carson, who attends First Methodist Church in Benton.
Hirscheider said Carson is a “very loving, generous person.”
“He and (his wife) go above and beyond what a boss has to do,” Hirscheider said.
Carson also hosts an annual blue-jean and shoes drive in the summer for the Bryant Rotary Club’s Kids Closet. He said his two children also help out for both drives.
“My kids always help with the blue-jean drive,” Carson said. “They will come up here and help separate toys and do whatever is needed.
“We try to help the counselor out a little bit by separating the boy toys and girl toys, as well as [toys for] the older kids and younger kids, so the school counselor isn’t faced with such a daunting task.”
During the blue-jean and shoes drive, Carson’s daughters will come up, tag the shoes and size them. He said they always make it a point to go and get the items.
“We encourage them to use their allowance on some of that as well,” Carson said, “so that they know they truly helped, as opposed to Mom and Dad buying it for somebody.”
Due to some conflicting school schedules, the annual potluck was set to take place Dec. 8 this year, a little earlier than usual.
“Because we are having it earlier this year, I think it will affect the turnout of the potluck, but I don’t think it will affect the turnout on the amount of toys,” Carson said.
He said he has noticed over the years that there is a “critical mass” on toys or donations that people want to be involved with.
“If there are just a few toys under the tree, then people look at it and say, ‘Oh that’s sweet,’ and move on,” Carson said. “And they don’t think a whole lot more about it.
“Once there is a decent amount of toys under the tree, I don’t know if it is guilt or wanting to be involved, I’m not sure which. The earlier we hit that critical mass, the more it snowballs.”
Carson hopes that by having the potluck a little bit earlier, the effort will draw a few more toys than normal.
“One of the counselors who has been there forever, before we even began this, would always write a thank-you card and tell us how much it helped,” Hirscheider said.
“Last year, she did a memory letter of each year and the different ways it affected [those who received gifts] — “not just the kids, but the parents that needed help as well,” he said. “That was very touching to me. It brought a little bit more perspective.”
Staff writer Sam Pierce can be reached at (501) 244-4314 or spierce@arkansasonline.com.