Issue link: https://imageup.uberflip.com/i/458887
Treats for Kids, Marines & Homeless Vets First let me say thank you to all of those that gave of their time and made donations. It was all very well received and greatly appreciated. In all, we made Christmas a lot better for a lot of families, and that message was conveyed to us by many of them. As an example, we were told that our gift cards and toys were going to be their children's only Christmas because they were having a hard time. First we teamed up with a group called "A Foundation for Kids" that helped provide toys for the children of the veterans in Colton, as well "Leap Frog" toys for the Marine Corp children… over a hundred toys all together. They will also be providing future support to the families in Colton and some of the CMI families that need help. Next we prepared for our beach landing at 29 Palms — that makes the place sound better than it is. They have enough sand out there for a beach. We went to Soboba to pick up their gift of 250 toys. They were intended for 29 Palms, but when asked if we could give some to the Colton families, the Marines responded by saying "you can have them all for the homeless veteran's children." We took 60 toys and that did the job. We also were given $1,000 in gift cards for the Marine children. Those added to what we collected from our community, totaled 164 - $25 gift cards, so that every child from the Marines in "A Company" received a gift card. On top of that, Soboba also provided us with their plush bus to drive us all out to 29 Palms and back. U-Haul donated a truck to help deliver the hundreds of toys. There are so many people that gave, that it is hard to single out anyone, but Alice Skillern started knitting beanies last March and finished with over 250 hand-made beanies that were a big hit with the Marines and their families, as well as the children in Colton. Another big hit at both of the parties was Santa and Mrs. Claus (Mick and Donna Holland). Our last stop was for the families at Colton. We provided two toys for each child and a $25 gift card so that each child would have a better Christmas. We also brought cake and juice to make it more like a party. Let me just close by saying "sleep well Four Seasons, for you have made a difference to a lot of children this past Christmas," and to all a good night. | Four Seasons Hemet Herald | February 2015 | 8