HOUSTON - The Houston Texans and the United States Marine Corps Reserve will be collecting toys for the Toys for Tots program on Sunday, Nov. 28, prior to the game against Tennessee.
The Toys for Tots program collects new, unwrapped toys during October, November, and December each year and distributes those toys as Christmas gifts to needy children throughout the community in which the campaign is conducted. Even with the local Marine Corps Reserve unit here in Houston, 1st BN 23rd Marines, currently deployed to Iraq, this year's program is alive and we are collecting toys for the program.
The primary goal of the Toys for Tots Program is to deliver, through a shiny new toy at Christmas, a message of hope to needy youngsters that will motivate them to grow into responsible, productive, patriotic citizens and community leaders.
The United States Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots program was founded in 1947 when Major Bill Hendricks and a group of Marine Reservists in Los Angeles collected and distributed 5,000 toys to needy children. The idea came from Bill's wife, Diane. In the fall of 1947, Diane handcrafted a Raggedy Ann doll and asked bill to deliver the doll to an organization, which would give it to a needy child at Christmas. When Bill determined that no agency existed, Diane told Bill that he should start one. He did. The 1947 campaign was so successful that the Marine Corps adopted Toys for Tots in 1948 and expanded it into a nationwide campaign. That year, Marine Corps Reserve units across the nation conducted Toys for Tots campaigns in each community in which a Marine Reserve Center was located. Marines have conducted successful nationwide campaigns at Christmas each year since 1948.
You can help the Marine Corps ensure a needy child in your community will have a new shinny toy under the tree this Christmas. You can do this by taking new, unwrapped toy to any of the following locations:
• All Compass Bank Locations
• All AT&T Wireless Locations
• All Hooters Locations
• All Best Buy Locations
• Allen Samuels Katy Dodge at 21777 Katy Freeway, Katy, TX
• All Dollar Tree locations
• All USMC Recruiting Stations.
• All KB Toy Stores
• All Cargokids locations
If you would like to receive assistance you must call 713-682-9902. Late registration goes from Nov. 29-30 and Dec. 1 Instructions will be given in English and Spanish.
