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HomeNewsArchivesToys for Tots Program Gives Funds to Help Abused, Neglected Children

Toys for Tots Program Gives Funds to Help Abused, Neglected Children

Nov. 14, 2006 — The St. Croix Marine Corps Association's Toys for Tots Campaign brought some early Christmas cheer to the children of CASA (Court-Appointed Special Advocates).
CASA exists to be the voice of a child, a child who may otherwise slip through the cracks of a busy and overworked social service and court system. It recruits and trains members of the community to be volunteer advocates for children victimized by abuse and neglect.
Gail Shearer, CASA executive director, accepted a check for $4000 from a local U.S. Marine recruiter, Staff Sgt. Stanley Ferguson, and a St. Croix Marine Corps Association member and the director of Toys for Tots, Carl Gotts. The association raises funds each year through its annual Toys for Tots Golf Tournament, held each October. For the past few seasons the funds have been used for the organization's athletic shoe program, Shearer said.
We like to think that over the past 12 years our local Toys for Tots program has matured and grown to meet the individual needs of our island community, Gotts said. Historically, the U.S. Marine Corps Toys for Tots program provides a toy for children during the holiday season. However, we have learned from CASA and other childrens charities that it may be more appropriate and more meaningful to make sure a child has new pair of athletic shoes or a backpack for school.
Other local childrens charities that benefit from the Marines efforts include the Womens Coalition of St. Croix; Angel Tree, which provides gifts to the children of prison inmates; and some government departments and local churches.

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