Christmas and Toys For Tots
Cathy Penn is a friend of mine. I have never met her nor spoken to her on the phone. Most likely I will never see her in person. But through computers, we have had a friendship for a year and a half now. It all began with a love for music. But I digress.
Cathy is an artist. Her latest work is a piece for Toys For Tots. Cathy got involved with the project a couple of years ago when a dear friend of hers, with no artistic ability whatsoever, asked her to help with a Toys For Tots project. The project you see here is the second one she has done. She says of the experience, “It’s all in the Christmas spirit. I did it to help out a friend and it was for a good cause. I feel that it actually supports TWO good things – The Marine Reserves AND needy children.”
Typically Cathy’s artistic medium is colored pencils. To tell a funny story on her, she once told a friend that she uses colored pencils because she can’t stand having paint on her hands and under her nails. This 5-foot high fireplace box is done in paint, giving Cathy many, many days of dirty-hand grief. It is truly a labor of love! The artists who contribute these works do not receive money or recognition – they do it in the spirit of giving to the children.
Toys For Tots is a long-standing charitable organization, giving some children their only Christmas presents. A Teddy Bear, a fire truck, a new dress or shoes. These would be special memories for a child who normally goes without. What better thing than to see a child’s face light up at Christmas!
I have seen the Toys For Tots bins for years. Today I looked up the history of the organization and was touched by the warm, heartfelt way in which this group was started. In the fall of 1947, Diane Hendricks, wife of Major Bill Hendricks, USCR, handcrafted a doll and asked her husband Bill to deliver the doll to a group that gave toys to needy children. When Bill could find no such organization, Diane suggested that Bill start one. And so he did.
It turned out to be such a successful endeavor that the Marine Corps adopted the Toys For Tots campaign in 1948, taking it nationwide. The Toys For Tots logo, which is still being used today, was designed by Walt Disney in 1948. The Toys For Tots theme song was recorded in 1956 by Nat “King” Cole, Peggy Lee and Vic Damone; quite an impressive array of talent backed this project that is still making children happy 62 years later!
When I asked Cathy for her help with this article she said, “Christmas is, after all, for the kids and every little kid should have something for Christmas! So if we can do a small part to make that happen, I’m all about it!” I like her attitude. So in that spirit, while you’re out shopping this year, drop a little something off for a child wherever you see a Toys For Tots collection site. A little something can mean SO much to a child who has nothing.
If there isn’t a Toys For Tots dropoff in your area or if donating online is more convenient, the sites below can help you make a child’s Christmas special. You can find information on the dropoff sites for any state at the main site for Toys For Tots.
- Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas
- Atlanta, Georgia
- Spokane, Washington
- Sacramento, California
- Albany, New York
Merry Christmas to one and all, may your holiday season be filled with Love!
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Merry Christmas!
