In 1947 after Marine Corps Reserve Bill Hendricks’ wife Diane realized there was nowhere she could send her handmade dolls during the holidays, the USMC created the Marine Toys For Tots Foundation.
The small idea that Diane Hendricks had transformed into a national force for good in just one year. Since Maj. Hendricks reported that he couldn’t find anywhere to give her dolls to, Diane expressed he should start one and in 1947 Maj. Hendricks and his reserve unit collected and distributed 5,000 toys in Los Angeles, California. After seeing how successful just this one effort was, the Commandment directed all Marine Reserve Sites to implement a Toys for Tots campaign in 1948.
Toys For Tots’ initiative is to collect toys and raise money to purchase toys for children whose families don’t have the ability to purchase the toys themselves. To expand these efforts, in 2021 Toys For Tots officially launched their Youth Ambassador Program, coining the phrase “Children Helping Children,” broadening their efforts.
Charlie Ann Benton, a junior, is in her second year of being a Youth Ambassador and this year she is a Mentor as well, promoting outreach into the youth community. This week’s STRIVE Coffee Fundraiser helped expand PR students’ participation beyond just donating toys and raised $261 from students buying coffee and $91 from separate donations. There was also a game students could play where they took a coin and dropped it into a bucket of water, trying to get it to land in a little cup at the bottom. In total, Prairie Ridge raised $352 for Toys For Tots to purchase new, unwrapped toys.
Along with fundraising, volunteers from Prairie Ridge and other D155 National Honor Societies will sort toys at McHenry County’s “Santa’s Workshop.” At “Santa’s Workshop” students look at ages of toys and put them in their respective areas. One side of the “Workshop” has boys toys and the other has girls toys, with the middle usually holding boxes of miscellaneous items such as stuffed animals. Students grab donation boxes and look through them, putting the toys into the age and gender group that the toy says. Any toys damaged during collection are separated and stored for a garage sale later in the year to raise money to buy new, unwrapped toys.
In McHenry County, Toys For Tots particularly needs new, unwrapped toys for ages 0-2 and 10+ years old. When buying a new toy for Toys for Tots, it’s a good idea to check the packaging for the ages most needed.
Boxes are in the front foyer at PR across from the dean’s office through December 6th. If you are interested in volunteering or donating, reach out to Charlie Ann Benton at [email protected].
