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SYP gives away toys to over 400 children
The Saipan Chamber of Commerce’s Saipan Young Professionals, in conjunction with the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves, gave over 400 toys to the Maternal and Child Health Bureau at the Saipan hospital to be distributed to less-privileged children this holiday season.
SYP administrator and coordinator Mercilynn Palec said the bureau gave them a list of over 400 children they felt would greatly appreciate gifts this Christmas season.
“Today we donated roughly around 400 toys and that’s according to the list that MCHB provided. [MCHB] provided us with the gender and the ages of these children. No names were revealed to keep everything confidential,” she said.
Palec said this is the third year that SYP and the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves have worked together in their Toy for Tots campaign to provide toys for the MCHB who, in turn, give it to the children that they serve.
“This is the third year that the Saipan Young Professionals have provided these gifts for the clients of the Maternal and Child Health Bureau. We reach out to organizations like MCHB that have a clientele of children in need, or are at a disadvantage, or children from low income families,” she said.
Palec said MCHB is the first partner agency they have distributed to. They will also have distributions for the Salvation Army, Division of Youth Services, and Karidat before Christmas.
On behalf of MCHB, Public Health director Margartte Aldan said she would like to express her deepest appreciation for the donation.
“We really want to thank them for the support that they give us so that we can brighten up our children’s lives in the community. We’ve gone through so much and this is really a big help for them,” she said.
The Toys for Tots campaign and distribution is an annual event that was adopted by the Saipan Young Professionals in 2017 in partnership with the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves with the goal of meeting the emotional needs of children during the holidays.
