I feel fortunate to be involved with such inspirational charities as Big Sisters, Children Uniting Nations and Toys for Tots. These organizations focus on helping disadvantaged children and have a number of different opportunities to get involved. Please take a moment to read more about them and how you can join in their missions.

Big Sisters

Big Brothers Big Sisters has been the nation's preeminent youth-service organization for nearly a century. This program is based on volunteers and has a proven success record for creating and nurturing relationships between adults and children. Big Brothers Big Sisters are, foremost, friends to children: They share everyday activities, expand horizons, and experience the joy in even the simplest events. Within those little moments lies the big magic that a Big Brother or Big Sister brings to the life of a young person. They can help a child discover a world of possibilities and opportunities simply by being a genuine friend.

Being a Big Brother or Big Sister is something that almost anyone can do. All is takes is a willingness to make a new friend and a desire to share some fun with a young person. Contact them at their website: www.bbsa.org. Children Uniting Nations (C.U.N.) Did you know that 75% of all inmates in penitentiaries came through the child welfare system? Often by age 11, one child may have been in as many as 18 foster care homes. Everyone in the life of a foster child is paid to be there and with a revolving door of homes and families, it's not hard to see why these children deserve something more. Children Uniting Nations (C.U.N.) began in 1996 with the goal of making it easier to adopt foster children by improving foster care and adoption laws. C.U.N. has also created a permanent mentoring program in order to help these children bond with a caring person who many be the only constant in their lives. It has been shown that 90% of of at risk children who have mentors stay in school, their overall performance at school improves, their self esteem improves, they are more cooperative in their foster care home and develop better skills when interacting with other children. The results are extraordinary! The mentoring program began after the success of International Day of the Child. Day of the Child is an annual event that gives homeless and foster children a day of fun and compassion. At the end of the day, we send the children home with a duffle bag full of school supplies, clothes, shoes, games and other much needed every day necessities. It's a wonderful opportunity to begin a relationship with a child in need. Contact Children Uniting Nations at their website: www.childrenunitingnations.org

U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program

MISSION: The mission of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program is to collect new, unwrapped toys during October, November and December each year and distribute those toys as Christmas gifts to needy children in the community in which the campaign is conducted. GOAL: The primary goal of Toys for Tots 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. OBJECTIVES: The objectives of Toys for Tots are to help needy children throughout the United States experience the joy of Christmas; to play an active role in the development of our nation's most valuable natural resource - our children; to unite all members of local communities in a common cause for three months each year during the annual toy collection and distribution campaign; to contribute to better communities in the future.

ACTIVITIES: The principal Toys for Tots activities which take place each year are the collection and distribution of toys in the communities in which a Marine Corps Reserve Unit is located and in the communities without a Reserve Unit that has a Marine Corps League Detachment or group of men and women, generally veteran Marines, authorized by Marine Toys for Tots Foundation to conduct a local Toys for Tots campaign. Local Toys for Tots Campaign Coordinators conduct an array of activities throughout the year, which include golf tournament, foot races, bicycle races and other purely voluntary events designed to increase interest in Toys for Tots, and concurrently generate toy and monetary donations.

ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION OF TOYS FOR TOTS

Toys for Tots began in 1947 when Major Bill Hendricks, USMCR 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. The initial objective that remains the hallmark of the program today is to "bring the joy of Christmas to America's needy children." Bill Hendricks, a Marine Reservists on weekends, was in civilian life, the Director of Public Relations for Warner Brothers Studio. This enabled him to convince a vast array of celebrities to support Toys for Tots. In 1948, Walt Disney designed the Toys for Tots logo, which we use today. Disney also designed the first Toys for Tots poster used to promote the nationwide program. Nat "King" Cole, Peggy Lee, and Vic Damone recorded the Toys for Tots theme composed by Sammy Fain and Paul Webster in 1956. Bob Hope, John Wayne, Doris Day, Lorrie Morgan, Tim Allen and Kenny Rogers are but a few of the long list of celebrities who have given their time and talent to promote Toys for Tots. First Lady Nancy Reagan served as the national spokesperson in 1983. First Lady Barbara Bush served as the national spokesperson in 1992 and in her autobiography named Toys for Tots as one of her favorite charities.

From 1947 through 1979, Marines collected and distributed new and used toys. On Reserve drill weekends during October, November and December, Reserve Marines refurbished the used toys.

From Christmas 1980 through the present, Marines have collected and distributed only new toys. Three factors dictated this change. First, the Secretary of Defense's Total Force Program, introduced in the 1970s, assigned Reserves a greater role in America's defense posture. As a consequence, Reservists had to dedicate every minute of weekend drill time to honing and polishing combat skills. No time was available to refurbish toys. Second, public awareness of the health and safety aspects of toys that developed during the 70s made distribution of used toys legally inadvisable. Third, distributing "hand me down" toys does not send the message Marines want to send to needy children. The goal is to deliver a message of hope, which will build self-esteem and, in turn, motivate needy children to grow into responsible, productive, patriotic citizens and community leaders. A shiny new toy is the best means of accomplishing this goal.

In the late 1980s, the Marine Corps determined that a non-profit Foundation was needed as an integral part of the overall national Toys for Tots program. Based on this need, the Secretary of Defense, in August 1991, authorized the Marine Corps to recognize and work with a charity committed to supporting Toys for Tots. Based on this approval, the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation became an operational organization in September 1991 and has been the fund raising and support organization for the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program since that date.

The Foundation was able to satisfy the five needs identified by the Marine Corps. First, the Foundation could provide toys to supplement the collections of local units that had fewer Marines due to military cutbacks of the 80s and 90s. Second, the Foundation could arrange and pay for the creation, publication, manufacture and distribution of promotion and support materials to Toys for Tots coordinators - something the declining budgets prevented the Marine Corps from doing any longer. Third, the Foundation could enable individual and corporate donors to Toys for Tots to take a charitable deduction on their income tax returns. Fourth, the Foundation could enter into contracts with corporations to conduct promotions, which would produce royalties for Tots for Tots. (Needs three and four were two important elements of this charitable endeavor that the Marine Corps, as a federal agency, could not fulfill). Fifth, the Foundation could ensure that the Toys for Tots program operates in compliance with IRS regulations, state laws and regulations and charitable standards.

In 1995, the Secretary of Defense approved Toys for Tots as an official activity of the U.S. Marine Corps and an official mission of the Marine Corps Reserve.

In 1996, the Commander, Marine Forces Reserve expanded Toys for Tots to cover all 50 states by authorizing selected Marine Corps League Detachments and selected local community organizations (generally veteran Marines), located in communities without a Marine Reserve Center, to conduct toy collection and distribution campaigns in their communities as part of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program.

In 1997, the Marine Corps celebrated the 50th anniversary of Toys for Tots.

In 1999, the Commander, Marine Forces Reserve delegated authority to the President, Marine Toys for Tots Foundation to approve and manage local Toys for Tots campaigns conducted in communities without a Reserve Unit.

The 2000 Toys for Tots campaign was the most successful campaign in the 53 year history of the program. Local campaigns were conducted in 350 communities covering all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

Despite the trauma the nation experienced as a result of the 911 attacks in New York City and Washington, DC, the economic downturn and the anthrax scare, the 2001 U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Campaign was the second best in the 54 year history of the program. Local campaigns were conducted in 388 communities covering all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. This ws the most extensive coverage ever.

The Marine Toys for Tots Foundation celebrated its 10th anniversary as the fund-raising and support organization for Toys for Tots in 2001. The highlights of the year were that the Foundation had its most successful campaign ever plus was ranked #289 in the 2001 "Philanthropy 400". This was the first time the Foundation earned a ranking in the "Philanthropy 400".

In 2002, Charity Navigator awarded the Foundation a 4-star rating and the Chronicle of Philanthropy ranked the Foundation #267 in the “Philanthropy 400”.

In 2003, the DMA Nonprofit Federation named the Foundation the “Outstanding Nonprofit Organization of the Year” for 2003. The Chronicle of Philanthropy ranked the Foundation #341 in the “Philanthropy 400”. Starburst ranked the Foundation website #9 of the “Top 100 Toy Websites”. Reader’s Digest, in the November 2003 edition, named “America’s Best Charities”. The Foundation was named “Best Children’s Charity”.

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