What is the Tootsie Roll Drive?

The Tootsie Roll Drive started back in the 1970s in Chicagoland by three Knights who saw a need to support organizations that help individuals with intellectual disabilities. Their idea was simple: put on a yellow vest, stand at busy intersections, and storefronts offering Tootsie Rolls in exchange for small donations. The idea worked and the Knights collected $30,000 in a two day span. Other councils around the nation quickly caught on and for more than 50 years the Knights have been collecting. Annually the Knights raise 2 million dollars in Illinois alone via the drive. 

How Your Donation Impacts Your Local Neighbor

Your donation regardless of size goes a long way to help those in need in Batavia and Geneva. All the funds collected support local non-profit organizations in the Fox Valley area that provide different types of support to individuals with intellectual disabilities. These organizations provide individuals with job opportunities, housing, medical needs, education, training, social opportunities, and special olympics funding. Below is a list of recipients organizations we support and where your donation will go.

• Valley Sheltered Workshop, Batavia
• Marklund, Geneva
• Association for Individual Development (AID), Aurora
• Special Camps for Special Needs, Winfield
• Fox Valley Special Recreation Assoc. (FVSRA), Aurora.
• Giant Steps , Sugar Grove
• Special Olympics Region C , DuPage, Kane, Kendall, and West Suburban Cook Counties
• Rising Lights Project, St. Charles

How To Donate

The 2025 Drive will be the weekend of September 4th, 5th, 6th, & 7th. Donate in person that weekend to get your Tootsie Roll. Donations are welcome anytime via this website using Visa, Mastercard, AMEX, Apple Pay, Google Pay, or Discover credit cards.