Today is the “Barney Cannon Smile Run” with KWKH[Gallery Video]

KWKH is holding its annual Operation Santa Claus "Barney Cannon Smile Run" this morning.  That's when we'll take your new toy donations to local children in two Shreveport-Bossier area hospitals.

At 9:30 this morning, we're heading over to Shriner's Hospital and then on to Schumpert Sutton's Children's Hospital at 11, bearing gifts that you so generously gave to children in need of them this Christmas.

Barney Cannon was longtime morning show host on AM 1130, KWKH and assistant program director for all six stations at GAP broadcasting, which is now Townsquare Media.

One year,  Barney and Gary McCoy wore diapers at the Operation Santa Claus remotes.  Barney was always game to do whatever it took to see that local needy children here and in the hospital would get toys and have a Merry Christmas.

Today's toy run to the hospitals is in Barney's memory.

In fact I pulled out some old Operation Santa Claus pictures featuring Barney to go with some new pictures from this year's remote.

During one of our remotes this  year,  Stifler - a popular deejay from our sister station K 94-5-  offered to burn the  Bama shirt he was wearing  for $1,000 in donations for Operation Santa Claus.

We raised about $700 during that remote, but we decided to burn Stifler's Bama shirt anyway (LSU fans that we all are).  Before 1 pm that same day,  the North Shreveport Business Association gave Shreveport Police's Mary Coburn a check for $3000 and $600 worth of toys for Operation Santa Claus.

Mary literally had to stop crying before she could tell us about that amazingly generous donation.

If you're a "J.R. Ewing" or a "Jed Clampett" we can still use your monetary donations because we have a record number of children to provide Christmas toys for and this year, more people are out of work.

So write that $1,000, $2,000, $3,000 check to Operation Santa Claus.  It's a tax write off and you will receive an incredible blessing for your benevolence.

We're also accepting your toy donations through tomorrow at 5 pm at the KWKH studios located at 6341 Westport Ave.,  Shreveport.

You can even sponsor a child this year for Christmas by calling 687-GIFT, 687-4438.    While the toy donations end tomorrow afternoon,  you can continue making monetary donations, whether it's cash, check, credit or debit card.  You can donate money online by going to the Operation Santa Claus website http://osccaddobossier.com/