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Jeeps on the Run generates nearly $200,000 in toys, cash for Toys for Tots campaigns

Posted December 18, 2025 2:26 pm

Submitted by Wolf Wordsmithing

Jodie Auliff of the JOTR Road Crew directs traffic as Jeeps arrive at the Ray Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram parking lot before the Jeeps on the Run Toys for Tots Run Dec. 7. Courtesy of Brandon Wilk

The Jeeps on the Run crowd delivered once again this year, with an estimated $130,000 worth of toys and $60,000 in cash collected for the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots programs in Lake and McHenry counties.

That's despite an overnight storm that dropped half a foot of snow, despite lower-than-usual numbers of participants, and despite an economy that has some folks cutting back, said Mike Missak, president of Jeeps on the Run. The group’s 13th annual Toys for Tots Run and after-party took place Dec. 7.

Jeeps on the Run Toys for Tots Run participants check out one another's decorated Jeeps in the Ray Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram parking lot before the run begins Dec. 7. Courtesy of Brandon Wilk

In a recent address to Facebook and YouTube followers, Mike Missak and his wife, April, offered special praise to this year’s participants and supporters. While the amount generated was not a leap forward from previous years, the fact that it held steady was an “absolutely incredible” win, they said.

“We had 100 fewer Jeeps show up than the 400 that were registered,” Mike Missak said.

Jeeps line up to drop off toys at the Lincolnshire Marriott Resort after the Jeeps on the Run Toys for Tots Run and before the after-party. Courtesy of Brandon Wilk

But those who did show up stepped up, continuing to build on JOTR’s reputation for delivering impressive quantities of high-quality items. In fact, Mike Missak said, the roughly $130,000 value attached to the two truckloads of toys collected is a conservative estimate, based on an average of $12 per toy.

Santa greets a young Jeeps on the Run Toys for Tots Run after-party guest during the 2025 JOTR event. Courtesy of Brandon Wilk

“I spent some time out at the toy drop area,” Missak said. “There were bikes. There were Power Wheels … I saw no $12 toys out there.”

This new Jeep Gladiator, donated by Ray Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram in Fox Lake, was raffled off in support of the Jeeps on the Run Toys for Tots Run. The winner was Delaware resident Angie Rodkey, who learned about the event online. Courtesy of Brandon Wilk

The $60,000 cash to be donated to the Lake and McHenry County programs came from event sponsorships, direct donations and raffle ticket sales, including tickets purchased for a chance to win a new Jeep Gladiator fully donated by Title Sponsor Ray Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, with 100% of proceeds going to the cause.

Delaware resident Angie Rodkey joins, from left, Jeeps on the Run President Mike Missak and Ray Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram’s Ray Scarpelli Jr. and Ray Scarpelli III after arriving in Fox Lake to pick up the new donated Jeep Gladiator she won after buying a raffle ticket online. Courtesy of Charlie Missak

Winning the Jeep this year was Angie Rodkey, a Delaware Jeep fan who follows JOTR’s YouTube channel and decided to buy a ticket. Rodkey flew on Dec. 13 to O’Hare Airport, where Mike Missak gathered her and a friend to collect her prize.

“Ray has given $300,000 worth of vehicles and donations toward Jeeps on the Run events and causes,” Missak said. “We cannot thank (dealership principal and President) Ray Scarpelli Jr. and his team enough for all of their support.”

When Missak arrived about 6 a.m. Dec. 7 at Ray Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram in Fox Lake where run participants would gather, Ray employees already had been clearing snow for at least an hour.

“Even with the snow, it was a very successful event,” Missak said. “People loved the Semple Band at the after-party. They enjoyed some of our new activities like the photo hunt and the duck hunt. Kids of all ages were getting excited about it.”

Cailyn, Mike, April and Charlie Missak stand for a photo with Gabrielle, Ray III, Ray Jr. and Lisa Scarpelli as the crowd at the Jeeps on the Run Toys for Tots Run after-party celebrates. Courtesy of Brandon Wilk

Event coordinators already are mulling the sorts of changes that will keep existing fans engaged and spark new interest for next year, he added.

“Tens of thousands of kids experience joy on Christmas morning due to the local Toys for Tots programs,” Missak said. “That we are able to contribute as significantly as we do … seeing toys literally spill out of these Jeeps as they arrive, some of them pulling trailers full of toys behind them, and watching as the semitractor trailers fill up, it’s highly motivating.”

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