A National Holiday Tradition
Helping Put Smiles On Little Faces This Holiday
For many years now, our Vantagepoint AI team has participated in donating to Toys for Tots. We regularly fill multiple bins in our lobby with toys. It’s just part of the fabric of the holiday season for us!
I started thinking about the program and even though I knew it was a project of the US Marine Corps, but I didn’t know why it was established… Here are some of the surprising facts I found:
- The program began in 1947 when a Marine Reservist’s wife couldn’t find an organization to donate a homemade Raggedy Ann doll for a child in need.
- In their first year, the Marines collected more than 5,000 toys.
- To date, the Marines have donated more than 584 million toys to over 265 million children.
- In 1995, the Secretary of Defense approved Toys for Tots as an official mission of the Marine Corps Reserve.
This year, we’re participating in a slightly different way. My team is both dropping off toys to local drop boxes or donating to the online toybox.
I’m sure many of you are also adjusting to new and creative ways to celebrate and give back this holiday season.
This year the need for help is greater than usual and I’m so proud of our Vantagepoint family for being creative while they continue to step up and make the season bright for others.