In 1947, Marine Corps Reserve Major Bill Hendricks and his wife Diane wanted to donate toys to less fortunate children who might not get any for Christmas. After some searching, they found that no such organization existed so they took matters into their own hands. Maj Hendricks, his wife, and the Marines in his reserve unit based out of Los Angeles, collected over 5,000 toys and distributed them to less fortunate children all around the state.

This got the attention of the Commandant of the Marine Corps, who was so impressed with the program that he instructed all Marine Reserve units to implement a TFT program, thereby making it into a national community action program in 1948. Maj. Hendrick’s civilian job was Director of Public Relations at Warner Brothers Studios, giving him many connections to celebrities to endorse and advertise the new program.  He even got Walt Disney himself to design the first Toys for Tots poster, which included the iconic train that was quickly adopted as the Toys for Tots logo. The Marines TFT program was officially deemed a non-profit charity in 1991, and has grown to distribute, on average, 18 million toys to approximately 7 million less fortunate children annually.

Headquartered in the Marine Base in Quantico, Virginia, Toys for Tots operates in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. Local toy collection begins in October and lasts until mid to late December. Local businesses, churches and other organizations host drop off-points where new toys will be donated by the community, and then be taken to local agencies to be distributed to children in need.

Student Advancement Coach here at Lafayette High School, Mr. Archie Jefferson describes his views on TFT, “I think its an awesome program, I’d like to see people give all year round. Being poor is an unfortunate lifestyle, a lifestyle that a lot of people didn’t choose.”

Along with local support, many celebrities and well-known people help in the campaign. Some notable individuals include many First Ladies, such as Melania Trump and Michelle Obama. Other famous people include Frank Sinatra, Clint Eastwood, Brett Eldredge, Tim Allen, Walt Disney and even Dr. Phil, as well as many more. There have even been some cartoon characters such as Bugs Bunny, Donald Duck, the Lone Ranger and Tonto. Even Santa Claus himself has been a proud part of the Marines Toys For Tots program, appearing in ads and showing up to many events in support of the charity.

Along with the toy donation program that most know about, TFT also has the Toys For Tots Literacy Program and the Toys For Tots Native American Program. The TFT Literacy Program’s mission is to provide disadvantaged kids with direct access to books and resources, giving them the ability to compete academically and hopefully to succeed in life. The TFT Native American Program is a mix of the traditional toy program and the literacy program targeted at Native American children, who are on average the poorest group in the United States.

A Wililamsburg businessman who wishes to remain anonymous told the Ledger, “I’ve been involved with a few events with the Marines and the Toys For Tots program mostly fundraisers. I particularly remember attending a golf match that was for Toys For Tots. We collected many donations and I met a lot of great people. It was a truly great experience.”

For more information on the TFT program visit www.toysfortots.org. For more information on the Marines or the Marine Corps reserve refer to the picture below.