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by Stephen Parezo

A member of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve smiles as he surveys the generous donations of toys made by members of the community during Christmas season 2005 at Fiducial’s Technical and Administrative Support Center (TASC) in Columbia, MD.

November 20, 2006—Giving to worthwhile causes has always been part of the holiday season tradition and this year is no exception as Fiducial will again be serving as a collection point for the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program at its Technical and Administrative Support Center (TASC) in Columbia, MD. The local toy collection campaign runs through December 22 with members of the community asked to drop off new, unwrapped toys in collection boxes positioned in the third floor lobby. Toy distribution follows on Dec. 23-24.

“Each year as we see the marvelous toys that our Fiducial family contributes to the Toys for Tots Program, we believe even more in the spirit of Christmas,” said Bill Morice, Fiducial’s director of field operations. “We thank the Marine Corps Reserve for giving us the opportunity to participate.”

Now in its 59th year, Toys for Tots has brightened up the holidays for millions of needy youngsters each year by delivering a shiny new toy at Christmas along with a message of hope that will motivate them to grow to responsible, productive, patriotic citizens and community leaders. Toys are collected not just for “tots” but for pre-teens, too.

Despite Toys for Tots distributing 18 million stuffed animals, games, toy trucks and other gifts to children based on financial need in 2005, the Marine Reserve’s job only seems to get more difficult each year.

“The number of needy kids has not gone down over the years,” said Major William Grein, USMC (ret), vice president of the Toys for Tots Foundation in Quantico, VA. “There still are a number of people we haven’t been able to reach.”

“We’ve seen figures in the past year showing that anywhere from 13 to 15 million families are living at or below the poverty level,” he said. “According to our Marine Corps figures, there should be at least one child per household so there are at least 15 million children that could use some help.”

But those donating toys usually don’t think much about kids in the 10-14 age range who have outgrown more traditional items.

Remember the pre-teens

“The most difficult age group is pre-teen and early teens,” Grein said. “Everyone tends to buy things for younger children. We call it the ‘doll-toy truck-teddy bear syndrome.’ We would like to remind folks to maybe think about a gift for a pre-teen.”

Suggested gifts for pre-teens include: clock radios, CD players, CD cases, rollerblades, scooters, backpacks, cosmetic sets for younger girls, perfumes, purses, cameras, wallets, and pen and pencil sets.

In the 1980s, Toys for Tots reached between three million to three and a half million needy kids. That number increased to four million to five million in the 1990s and hit the six million to six and a half million mark in 2000. This year, Grein expects about seven and a half million youngsters to have a brighter holiday.

“The generosity of the American people is amazing,” he said.

Once more, Fiducial employees are excited about the opportunity to contribute to this meaningful holiday endeavor.

“It really gives you a chance to make a difference for a child on Christmas day,” said Karen Beech, president of Fiducial Investment Advisors, Inc.

Stephen Parezo is the Media Manager for Fiducial.

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