Marines
Use the Internet To
Gather Toys for Tots In 53rd Season of Giving
Where to take
your toys?
Can you write a check instead?
Yes, Sir ! Click Here, Sir !
Toys for
Tots Locations; A Click Away on the Web
by Hans Petersen
The U.S. Marine
Corps Reserve "Toys for Tots" campaign is using the Internet
to make it easier for Americans to donate toys to needy children
this year.
By signing
on to Toys for Tots a family
wishing to make sure that all children get a toy this Christmas
can find the names, addresses and phone numbers of the coordinators
in one of 351 communities. That coordinator can give you location
of the nearest drop-off point in your town.
For decades,
many parents have made it a family project for their children to
take the toys to the Marines in order to help their kids appreciate
the act of giving during the holidays.
To
assist this years campaign, simply drop off a new, unwrapped
toy at the Toys for Tots collection box nearest you. Marines will
do the rest.
On
Line Contribution
There
is even a way for busy people with hectic schedules to help out
when they dont have the time to actually take a toy to a drop-off
point. At the same web site, there is a "Donate Now" link
that makes it easy to send in a contribution to the national campaign.
Better
do it now. The campaign concludes on Friday, December 22. Saturday
and Sunday are dedicated to toy distribution. The Marines have as
their goal for 2000 to reach more needy children throughout the
United States than ever before.
Created in
1947, Toys for Tots has grown from an initial collection and distribution
of 5,000 toys to needy children of Los Angeles to the record setting
effort of Christmas 1999 when Marines distributed over 13.8 million
toys to needy children nationwide.
Nation Wide
Campaign
This year,
Toys for Tots campaigns are being conducted in 351 communities covering
all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
Senator John
Glenn, a former Marine, is the National Spokesperson for Toys for
Tots this year.
At kickoff
ceremonies for the 2000 Campaign, nine-year-old Virginia Wacker
was presented a Special Commemorative Coin for donating the toys
she received for her birthday last year to Toys for Tots. Virginia,
a native of Virginia Beach, Virginia, was presented the award by
Lt. Gen. Jack Klimp, Deputy Commandant of the Marine Corps for Manpower
and Reserve Affairs.
About the
Author
Hans Petersen
is a writer/editor at the Health Care Financing Administration in
Washington D.C. Currently writing for AccessAmerica
E-Gov E-Zine, he can be reached at HPetersen@HCFA.gov.
|