Those weren’t Santa’s elves, but members of the University of Minnesota Morris softball team who gathered in the Cougar Sports Center recently to paint toys for the Christmas Toy Shoppe, a local program that provides gifts for children in the Morris area community.
The toys were handcrafted wooden puzzles, created by Gordon McIntosh, who volunteers as an assistant coach for the team.
McIntosh, a retired physics professor who also has an uncanny resemblance to Santa, enjoys cutting out the toys, but admits “I don’t like to paint.”
There were camels, cows, dinosaurs, kangaroos, lions, penguins, pigs, and rainbows.
Pitcher Morgan Wilhelm ’26 of Cottage Grove painted rainbows.
“It’s just knowing we’re helping, even though we don’t know who exactly we helped, but knowing that we’re giving back to this specific community that we live in.”
Utility player Roena Diver ’27 from Cloquet agreed.
“I was privileged to get lots of presents as a kid, so it’s nice being able to give back for something I grew up loving.”
The event was one of several team-bonding opportunities the team holds throughout the year. Diver appreciated the opportunity to learn more about her teammates’ holiday customs.
“It was nice to be able to sit down and bond with each other over our own traditions while creating some for the younger generations. It makes me think of the kids who look forward to this event every year... this is one of their family traditions just like we all have our own.”
Diver and Wilhelm agreed that it was a little more meaningful to know that these toys are handcrafted by their coach.
“What we did was homemade and we put love into it, so it was nice,” Wilhelm said.
The Christmas Toy Shoppe is organized by the Morris Area Women of Today. Coordinator Peggy Kill notes that in 2024, they provided gifts for approximately 450 children and 168 families.
Cougar Softball crafts
