BY IEC STAFF
Toys for Tots began in 1947 when Major Bill Hendricks’s wife Diane asked her husband to deliver a few of her handcrafted dolls to an agency that supports children in need. When Bill could not find such an organization, Diane instructed him to start one! That year, the major and the Marines in his reserve unit in Los Angeles collected and distributed 5,000 toys. Fast forward to 1991 when the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation was formed with the primary goal to help bring the joy of Christmas and send a message of hope to America’s economically disadvantaged children through gifts of new toys.
In 2023, the Toys for Tots program distributed 25.5 million toys, books, and other gifts to 10.3 million economically disadvantaged children throughout the year. The organization expects another record-breaking year in 2024.
IEC Foundation Initiatives
Your IEC Foundation wrote grants and facilitated the process for four IEC chapters in 2024 to make the holidays brighter for their local communities through the Toys for Tots initiative. These chapters are IEC Atlanta and Georgia, IEC of the Bluegrass, IEC Central Ohio, and IEC Southern Arizona. The team at Foundation headquarters also donated toys through their local Rotary International. In total, 920 children in five states benefitted from this effort.
Each summer, all IEC chapters are invited to request that IEC Foundation write and submit toy grants to support their chapter and community. With awards granted, the chapters make plans to pick up the toys to distribute in their communities and chapters. Some hold events, and others work through existing agencies serving their communities. Some make the gifts available for their own members and apprentices.
“We believe in supporting the communities we serve, which is why initiatives like helping chapters distribute toys are so important,” says LaNa Al-Amin, MSOL, Foundation executive director. “This is a great opportunity to engage chapter students in a community service activity, which also is requested on the IEC Foundation scholarship application because we recognize the value of giving back and fostering good citizenship. Encouraging our participants to positively impact others strengthens our communities and creates a ripple effect of goodwill.”
Enjoy the input from two of our chapters.
IEC of the Bluegrass
Executive Director Rebecca Barnes reports that 2024 was the second year IEC of the Bluegrass participated and invited their contractors to share this opportunity with their employees that could use a few extra gifts around the holidays.
“We enjoy spreading cheer by giving contractor members and apprentices the opportunity to come pick out gifts for their family and friends,” says Rebecca. “It provides some sense of relief for families that are experiencing hardships during the holidays. IEC of the Bluegrass is so very grateful for the partnership with Toys for Tots and the opportunity to provide gifts for children within our IEC community.”
IEC Central Ohio
IEC Central Ohio Santa and his elves distributed toys December 20 to those within their apprentice network and those beyond in their community.
“Thanks to Foundation, several families in the area were blessed with toys for their children on Christmas morning,” says Barb Tipton, IEC Central Ohio executive director. “One apprentice was overjoyed to have the toys for his blended family of 11 children, and the lovely ladies who keep our building clean and neat were able to provide toys for several parents and children in their church family.”
Calling All Chapters!
Begin thinking now about how your chapters can be involved in 2025, and then watch for the notification from the IEC Foundation that applications are open.
Fun Fact…
The original Toys for Tots poster (left) was designed by none other than Walt Disney! It was changed repeatedly over the years and in 2008, the organization began using the promotional poster on the right.