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Christmas toy drive benefits 71 kids at Guma Esperanza
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Posted on Dec 17 2011
By Moneth Deposa
Reporter
Reporter
Seventy-one children from the Karidat’s Guma Esperanza were named beneficiaries of this year’s Christmas Toy Drive organized by crewmembers and officials of the USNS Dahl, one of the military sealift command’s ships under the pre-positioning program stationed in the islands.
Capt. Kurt Kleinschmidt, along with his 40-member crew, was seen busy wrapping their special presents for the children yesterday afternoon as they waited for the formal gift turnover to representatives of Guma Esperanza.
Kleinschmidt said this year marked the fourth annual toy drive conducted by crewmembers who took time to shop in Japan a couple of weeks ago. Besides toys, the group also donated $2,000 yesterday as Christmas present to the adult clients of the shelter.
Guma Esperanza, or the House of Hope, is a shelter for battered women and their children in the island. In the past three years, Kleinschmidt said USNS Dahl consistently provided these clients assistance during Christmas.
“This campaign started several years back and it became a tradition for us. So every time we’re here on island, we try to do something for them during Christmas. This year, they gave us a list of 71 children from the shelter and so while we were in Okinawa a couple of weeks ago, our crew took the time to shop for these kids,” he told Saipan Tribune as they were busy wrapping toys yesterday at Round Two Bar & Grill in Garapan.
He said toys were especially chosen for children ages 15 months to 17 years old. The crewmembers, he added, spent approximately $1,000 for the Christmas toy drive.
USNS Dahl has been stationed in the Commonwealth for about six years. The captain yesterday vowed to continue the tradition of buying, wrapping, and giving gifts to children so long they are stationed on island.
“As long as we’re here, I guess we will try keeping doing this every year. We’re very proud of our crewmembers and thank them for taking the time in doing this during Christmas time,” he said, adding that the group’s effort is a show of their commitment to the community. Yesterday’s Christmas toy drive was coordinated by Ambyth Shipping Micronesia.
