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Turns out the biggest donation of toys to Doernbecher Children’s Hospital each year doesn’t come from the drop-box in the lobby of your dentist’s office. It doesn’t come from the toy drive at your veterinarian, your kid’s school, or a local broadcast news station. Nope—it comes from strippers.
Portland strippers have donated $183,000 worth of toys over the past 14 years to Doernbecher as the result of an annual event called Tatas for Toys. This year’s show will be held Dec. 16 at a new venue, the Alberta Rose Theatre.
The event started at Dante’s in 2011, the brainchild of comedian and host Aaron Ross. He was one of the hosts of Dante’s Sinferno cabaret show then, and someone suggested they put on a toy drive. That first year, they made $500, enough to fill a little red wagon with toys.
Fast forward to 2024, and Tatas for Toys made about $38,000. Rather than donating the cash, Ross and some of the dancers went on a massive shopping spree at Mudpuddles Toys & Books in Sherwood.
There will be 30 dancers on stage this year, from clubs all across the city, giving the event a little bit of the feel of the Portland strip club industry’s holiday office party. The entertainment stays pretty PG-13—usually a little more silly than sexy, Ross says.
“It’s just such a delight, whether you’re an audience member or a dancer,” Ross says. “To me, it’s truly the ultimate Portland event.”
Doernbecher’s Child Life Therapy Program serves about 10,000 children a year, according to its manager Rebekah Coles, and the toys are an important tool. The department uses toys not only for fun or comfort for the patients, but also things like demonstrating how an IV works on a doll or a stuffed animal.
“We really, really need it,” Coles says. “It’s our interventions that we use for these kids. It’s big.”
Ross lives in Los Angeles now, but is dedicated to keeping Tatas for Toys going. He flies into town for the benefit event.
“A kid should get to be a kid,” Ross says. “So when someone is in the hospital, and it’s the holidays, I want to do whatever we can to help them through this time. I want them to feel like Scrooge McDuck swimming through a mountain of toys.”
GO: Tatas for Toys at the Alberta Rose Theatre, 3000 NE Alberta St. 503-719-6055, albertarosetheatre.com. 7 pm Tuesday, Dec. 16. $25.75. 21+
