Toy Drive to Honor Cedric 'Beastie' Jones
Nov 16, 2023 10:28AM ● By Jeanne Fratello
Photo via Beastie Gym.
A holiday toy drive aims to help carry out Cedric Jones' dream of hosting a Holiday Fun Fest for at-risk students and foster care youth.
Jones, the owner of Manhattan Beach's Beastie Gym and a community philanthropist, passed away suddenly last month at age 46.
Jones was the founder of the BMoved Foundation, which works to guide underprivileged youth from their formative years into young adulthood.
According to toy drive coordinator Hildy Stern, Jones had planned to host a Holiday Fun Fest for the foundation’s students and foster care
youth on December 3.
The Holiday Fun Fest will go on - and the drive is seeking 100 gifts so that each child at the event can go home with a new toy or
game.
Organizers have asked for donations in one of three ways:
(Toys that will not be accepted include used toys or clothing, toys that look like realistic weapons, toys packaged with food or candy, or toys with unsafe chemicals (e.g., experimental labs, acids, crystal projects, or non-FDA approved products).
1. Purchase new and unwrapped gifts for kids ages 6 – 17*
2.
Purchase gifts from their Target Gift Registry (When ordering, click the "Shipping" option, and on the checkout page it will give you the option to ship to BMoved.)
3. Make a donation with a gift card or by check (payable to BMoved Foundation)*
*All
gifts, gift cards, and checks should be delivered by Wednesday, November 29 to Beastie Gym, 2317 N Sepulveda
Blvd, Manhattan Beach; or the Stern residence at 3009 Elm Ave. in Manhattan Beach.
Philanthropist Jones Mourned By Community
Jones was widely known for his outreach to the most
vulnerable communities; visiting detention centers and shelters,
feeding the homeless during the COVID-19 pandemic, and finding ways to mentor and inspire at-risk youth.
Friends and family paid tribute to Jones with a run from Beastie Gym down to the Manhattan Beach last month.
(Photo credit: Beastie Gym)A service honoring Jones will be held on Friday, November 17, at 10:00 a.m. at the First AME Zion Church, 1449 West Adams Blvd., Los Angeles.
Jones is survived by his wife, Barbie, and three young children. A GoFundMe and a Meal Train has been established to support Jones' family.
