Ottawa University

Drop Off TOYS FOR TOTS at Ottawa University

JEFFERSONVILLE, Indiana - Ottawa University-Indiana has partnered with the United States Marine Corps as an official drop-off location for it 2007 Toys for Tots Christmas drive. Senior Support Representative Patrice Fess said, "We wanted to provide people a way to bring joy to a needy child's life this holiday season. What could be easier than simply dropping off a toy at Ottawa's Jeffersonville campus?"

Anyone wishing to donate may bring new, unwrapped toys to 287 Quarter Master Court, Jeffersonville, Indiana, between now and December 7. Drop off times are Monday - Thursday, 9:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m., and Friday between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. For more information, contact Ottawa University at 812-280-7271. All collected toys will go to needy children in the Kentuckiana area.

Now in its 60^th year, Toys for Tots began in 1947 when Major Bill Hendricks, USMCR and a group of Marine Reservists in Los Angeles collected and distributed 5,000 toys to needy children. The 1947 pilot project was so successful that the Marine Corps adopted Toys for Tots in 1948 and expanded it into a nationwide campaign. In the late 1980s, the Marine Corps determined that a non-profit charity was needed as an integral part of the overall national Toys for Tots program. The Marine Toys for Tots Foundation became an operational organization in September 1991 and has been the fund raising and support organization for the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program since that date. In 2002, Charity Navigator awarded the Foundation a 4-star rating and the Chronicle of Philanthropy ranked the Foundation #267 in the "Philanthropy 400".  In 2003, the DMA Nonprofit Federation named the Foundation the "Outstanding Nonprofit Organization of the Year."

Over the 59 years of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program, Marines have distributed more than 370 million toys to more than 173 million needy children. This charitable endeavor has made U.S. Marines the unchallenged leaders in looking after needy children at Christmas. Over its 16 year life span, the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation has supplemented local toy collections with more than 70.2 million toys valued at more than $387 million.

The primary goal of Toys for Tots is to deliver, through a shiny new toy at Christmas, a message of hope to needy youngsters that will motivate them to grow into responsible, productive, patriotic citizens and community leaders.

To learn more about Toys for Tots, or to locate other drop-off sites, visit http://www.kentuckianamarines.org/ or http://www.toysfortots.org/.

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Founded in 1865, Ottawa University is a comprehensive, not-for-profit educational institution. Ottawa University's educational mission brings together a residential campus in Ottawa, Kansas, and adult campuses in Kansas City, Missouri; Phoenix, Mesa and Tempe, Arizona; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Jeffersonville, Indiana; as well as multiple international instructional sites.  For more information, visit http://www.ottawa.edu/.