Marine Cpl. Daniel Belew and Pvt. Jeremy Martinez, both assigned to Marine Air Control Squadron 4, Futenma Marine Corps Air Base, Okinawa, stand a volunteer two-hour watch for Toys for Tots at the Camp Foster Exchange Wednesday night. (David Allen / S&S)
CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa — The Marines are looking for a few good volunteers.
Well, as many as they can find, actually, to help out with the 2004 Toys for Tots Okinawa Campaign. This year marks the 14th year Marine Corps reservists on Okinawa are participating in the worldwide effort to make sure no child gets left behind on Christmas morning.
Last year the drive netted about 10,000 toys, said Cpl. Andrew O. Vanhorne, program coordinator for the past three years. The program’s goal is to have three toys under the Christmas tree for every needy child.
“What we would like to accomplish this year is to reach even more families and involve more organizations,” Vanhorne said Wednesday. Already a “corps of volunteers” in dress blues is standing by drop boxes at base exchanges, off-base stores and special events. And a back-up volunteer crew is busy picking up the toys and delivering them to the program’s warehouse on Camp Foster.
There are dozens of Toys for Tots boxes located on the Okinawa bases. The toys are handed out to children based on recommendations by chaplains and others who fill out toy request forms that provide the age and sex of the children so they can be given age-appropriate toys.
More help is needed for this year’s drive to be a success, Vanhorne said.
“It’s a big effort; we need all the help we can get,” he said. “This is the first year we’ll be at major off-base stores — Jusco’s in Chatan and the Toys-R-Us in Awase.”
Volunteers are needed from now until Dec. 31, Vanhorne said. Besides standing at the drop boxes, the program needs drivers and sorters.
Only new toys are accepted, Vanhorne said. And they must be unwrapped and suitable for children.
“I know we’re the military and all, but we’d rather not have any violent toys,” he said.
The toys go to military families and needy Okinawa children, he said.
“This gives us the chance to make a positive impact not just on military families, but our Okinawa neighbors as well.”
Toys for Tots began in 1947 when a group of Marine Reservists in Los Angeles collected and distributed 5,000 toys to needy children. The Marine Corps adopted the charitable program the next year.
According to the organization’s Web site, www.toysfortots.org, last year’s campaign was the most successful in the 56 years of the program, with 15 million toys distributed to 6.5 needy children. Since its inception, Marines have distributed more than 313 million toys to 151 million children.
To volunteer, call Vanhorne at 645-7410 or 090-6861-7636.
