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For many of us, Christmas has become synonymous
with Toys for Tots. The program is designed to collect new, unwrapped
toys during October, November, and December and distribute the toys
each year to needy children in communities around the nation. Some of
the better-known Toys for Tots programs include Toys for Tots Columbus,
Ohio; Toys for Tots Atlanta; Maine Tots Toys; and Toys for Tots of NH.
A Worthy Goal - The History
of Toys for Tots
The state of Minnesota has become a driving force
in the national Christmas Toys for Tots program, a campaign to deliver
presents and Christmas joy to needy children at the holidays. For decades,
the program has been serving disadvantaged children, teenagers, and
their families. Thanks to its sterling reputation, the program continues
to gain support.
The history of Toys for Tots began in December of
1947, when the wife of Marine Reserve Major Bill Hendricks made a Raggedy
Ann doll and requested that her husband deliver it to a group that would
give it to a needy little girl on Christmas Day. However, the major was
unable to find an agency that could do the job. As a result, the major
and members of his Los Angeles Marines Reserve unit decided to join forces
to collect and distribute 5,000 toys to the needy children of LA. From
this effort, Toys for Tots was born. The next year, the Marine Corps Reserve
adopted the program as its own and started collecting toys in nearly 200
communities across the nation. More Information on Toys for Tots: |
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