The 59th anniversary of the Toys for Tots Program (December 23, 2006)

The theme continues to be simply: 
"EVERY CHILD DESERVES A LITTLE HOLIDAY JOY"
 
The holiday season is a time of joy, happiness and goodwill. It is a time of giving and helping those who are less fortunate than ourselves, especially impoverished children. For the past 59 years, one organization-the U.S. Marine Corps- is the unchallenged leader in looking after needy children worldwide during this joyous season.

The U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program began in 1947 in Los Angeles, CA., with the efforts of Major Bill Hendricks (USMCR) who, noticing there was no charity which distributed toys to deserving children during the traditional Christmas season, collected and distributed more than 5,000 toys to children in the Los Angeles area that first year. Since then, the Toys for Tots Program has grown into a worldwide effort, coordinated by U.S. Marines, to help disadvantaged children learn the meaning of holiday giving through the gift of a new, unwrapped toy.

The Toys for Tots Program has grown significantly during the years with over 30 million toys distributed in the past four years alone. Over 231 million toys have been distributed to more than 116 million children since the program's inception.

The original goal of "bringing the joy of Christmas to needy children", has been expanded to encompass social and humanitarian objectives – delivering a message of hope, rebuilding self-esteem and mentoring children living in poverty by exposing them to the positive examples set by the U.S. Marines who distribute toys to them each year. 

The Toys for Tots Program, delivers a message of hope to children who have little reason to have hope for the future. A shiny new toy during the holiday season lets these youngsters know that someone cares. The goal is to motivate economically disadvantaged children to grow into responsible, productive and concerned citizens and community leaders. The good news is that Marines have been accomplishing this goal for 59 years.

This year, the Marine Security Guard Detachment of the U.S. Embassy in Tirana, assisted by Charge Steve Cristina and Public Affairs Officer Stephanie Wickes, provided gifts to each orphan at the Zyber Halluni House and a number of gifts for the Zyber Hallulli House in general. 

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