New Hanover County Toys For Tots Campaign

Wednesday, 11 November 2009

In 1947, the wife of Major Bill Hendricks, sewed together a “Raggedy Ann” Doll, she gave that doll to her husband (a Major in the USMC Reserves in Lost Angeles) and asked him to find some charity that would give it to a needy child at Christmas. Major Hendricks looked and found no such organization available at that time. So he with the support of members of his Los Angeles Marine Corps Reserve Unit collected and distributed 5,000 toys to needy children.  Bill’s program was so successful that in 1949 the Marine Corps adopted and expanded it nationwide as the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys For Tots Program. Since then, Marines have conducted successful Toys For Tots campaigns each year, collecting and distributing over 386,000,000 toys. The program has enjoyed the support of many notable Americans such as Walt Disney, who designed the logo; Nat “King” Cole and Peggy Lee recorded the Toys For Tots song. Bob Hope, John Wayne, Brooke Shields, Johnny Carson, Garth Brooks, Tim Allen, Kenny Rogers, and Billy Ray Cyrus are but a few of a long list who have given their time and talent to promote Toys for Tots. First Lady Barbara Bush served as honorary chairperson in 1992, and in her autobiography named Toys For Tots she listed them as one of her favorite charities. Today, Toys For Tots is the Marine Corps premier community action program. To many Americans, Christmas isn’t complete without the image of uniformed Marines collecting and distributing toys to needy children of their communities. Over the past 10 years, Marines have distributed an average of 15,000,000 toys annually and brought the joy of Christmas to an average of 6,100,000 needy children each year. In New Hanover County, last year 15,910 toys, books, and bikes were collected from 136 locations using 150 collection boxes. We were present or supported in 24 promotional events, There were 96 individual volunteers during the distribution of those toys through the Salvation Army. Volunteers including members of Cape Fear Detachment 1070 of the Marine Crops League, the U.S. Naval Reserve, the U.S. Army Reserve, and many caring friends and neighbors. Donations of cash and checks collected locally more than doubled in results from the previous years. Charities that received Toys For Tots toys included The Salvation Army, Coastal Aids, Care, Families In Crisis, Step-Up for Soldiers, and the Sanctuary Church. The number of boys and girls receiving gifts last year was 5,191 with an average of 3 gifts per child. This year there is an even bigger challenge. With the economy as it is, and parents losing jobs in the Cape Fear Area, we need to double our efforts to see that no child goes without a gift this Christmas. We are looking for civic organizations, stores, any church or individual that would like to become involved with helping Toys for Tots collect and distribute during this year’s campaign. We only ask that you be a good moral character and are willing to dedicate part of your time to making sure that every child has a reason to smile on Christmas morning. For more information or to contact Toys For Tots of New Hanover County, visit online at http://toysfortots.org or contact Senior Coordinator Mike Gautier at (910) 275-5430. You can also reach Mike via email at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

 

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