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The late Bill Casperson, proprietor of Bill's Bikes, was
a mountain of a man with a heart of equal dimensions. Casperson transferred
his love for helping all his customers into bringing happiness to youngsters
from unfortunate circumstances and families in financial difficulty.
Casperson
died of cancer in 1995, but his work continues through Palm Beach County
Motorcyclists' Toys for Tots Inc. Last year, Bill's Bikes Toy
Run accounted for more than 20% of all toys and monetary contributions
for Toys for Tots in Palm Beach County.
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The History of Toys For Tots! |
- 1947 The late Colonel William "Bill" Hendricks founds the Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program in Los Angeles, California. 5000 toys collected during a two week campaign.
- 1948 The
United States Marine Corps Reserve adopts the Toys for Tots Program as a nationwide effort, incorporating it into a community service program to be conducted by their local reserve units across the country.
Walt Disney Designs the first national Toys for
Tots poster, incorporating the now famous Toys for Tots train logo. The
posters have become a recognized part of the annual program, and through
the years have featured such notable characters as Mickey Mouse, Donald
Duck, Dennis the Menace, Bugs Bunny, and the Road Runner. Posters have
also been designed by a member of the Association of Handicapped Artists
and by the Marine Corps Reserve Artists.
- 1949 Major
Celebrities begin to endorse The Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program.
Throughout the years, Toys for Tots spokespersones have included such
notables as John Wayne, Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra, George Strait, Danny
Thomas, Brooke Shields, Charlton Heston, Ann Margaret, Sammy Davis, Jr.,
Doris Day, Andy Griffith, Charlie Daniels, George Harrison, Babara Eden,
Glen Campbell, Lorrie Morgan, Johnny Carson, and Ricky Van Shelton, among
others.
- 1956 Oscar
winning songwriters Sammy Fain and Paul Webster compose the Toys for Tots
theme, which was later recorded by Nat King Cole.
- 1959 Toys
fot Tots goes international. Although the program is designed to be a
local program for local children, Toys for Tots went on an international
basis on three occasions. The first followed the catastrophic typhoon
that devastated the city of Nagoya, Japan in 1959. The other two occasions
were to the Republic of Panama following the invasion in 1988, and to
the Caribbean following Hurricane Hugo in 1989.
- 1960 KABC-TV
of Los Angeles receives the highest non-millitary award possible from
the Commandant of the Marine Corps for sponsorship of a spectacular Toys
for Tots Circus.
- 1962 New
York Yankees sponsor the first major sports event to benefit Toys for
Tots, a bring a toy game with the Washington Senators. Since then, the
world of professional sports, both teams and individual athletes from
virtually every sport, have rendered their support to the Marine Coprs
Reserve program.
- 1970's - 80's Toys
for Tots continued to grow as did public support for the Marine Corps
Reserve Program. Local and National companies became involved and local
civilian organizations and individuals began to assist the Reserve units
with their local programs. Program grows to the level of about 8 million
toys annually.
- 1990 First
national television network promotion for Toys for Tots. King World, Merv
Griffin Productions' "Wheel of Fortune" and Pizza Hut run a
three week promotion for the Toys for Tots program, resulting in over
3 million dollars being donated to the Marine Reserve Toys for Tots Foundation
for the purchase of toys. It set serveral Guinness Book of World Records
for participation and donations received from a home call contest.
- 1991 The
Marine Corps Toys for Tots Foundation is founded to support the Marine
Corps Reserve in running their Toys fot Tots Program. Foundation is authorized
by Marine Corps Headquarters and the Secretary of Defense to act as Toys
for Tots promotional and fund raising representative.
- 1992 First
Toys for Tots newsletter is published and circulated to Reserve Units
and Marine bases accress the country. Dedication ceremonies mark the opening of the new
National Headquarters for the USMCR Toys for Tots Foundation in Amherst,
New York.
- 1992 First
Toys for Tots newsletter is published and circulated to Reserve Units
and Marine bases accress the country.
The
US Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots program is currently conducted in
nearly two hundred cities nationwide and collects or purchases approximately
eight million toys annually providing close to 3.75 million needy children
with their special Christmas wish. The Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots
has become an American tradition, having helped in excess of 100 million
children throughout the years.
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