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Community gathers holiday toys for children on Guam
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- U.S. Marines join with the Guam Chamber of Commerce for the Toys for Tots kickoff last Sept. 27. (Lance CPL. Samuel D. Brusseau)
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- U.S. Marines join the Guam Veteran’s Motorcycle Club last Nov. 21 on a shopping spree with funds raised by the veterans. The club collected more than $1,000 in donations this year to use at Toys R Us to co program. (Lance CPL. Samuel D. Brusseau)
DEDEDO, Guam—More children in Guam will have smiling faces this holiday season because of toys donated by local communities to the Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program.
Capt. Nathan Adams, action officer for this year’s Toys for Tots program, expressed his appreciation to the people and organizations who volunteered to make this year’s campaign an outstanding success. “The generous support of our community makes the Toys for Tots program one of the most successful community events in the area.”
His sentiments were echoed by Guam’s Toys for Tots coordinator, Gunnery Sgt. Justin Park, “This is the third year that I’ve worked on the Toys for Tots program and it has been an amazing experience that’s gotten better every time. All of the local businesses were great and we saw so much excitement to give from all of the people involved.”
Now in its ninth year on the island, and thanks in large part to the Guam Chamber of Commerce, the Toys for Tots Program has gained the support of dozens of area retailers, architectural firms, Guam public schools, real estate firms, automobile dealers, banks, restaurants, civic organizations and numerous members of the general public.
“The Chamber of Commerce really is the driving force behind the continued success of the program year after year, explained Adams.
The Chamber also organized the Toys for Tots kick-off event on Sept. 25 and financed the Toys for Tots High School Challenge designed to encourage participation with a $1,000 prize to the school that collected the most toys.
Iconic toy retailer, Toys “R” Us, located in the Micronesia Mall, was an enormous contributor to the program this year.
The Veterans of Guam Motorcycle Club’s commitment to support island communities also led to the collection of hundreds of toys for the children of Guam. “Like every year, these guys did a great job at raising funds.” (PR)
