SIMI VALLEY : Contributers to Toys for Tots Honored
Members of the Ventura County detachment of the Marine Corps League honored more than 40 members and county residents at a Simi Valley banquet on Sunday for their contribution to the annual Toys for Tots campaign.
The toy drive, run nationwide by Marine reservists, collects toys from individuals and companies to give to needy children at Christmastime.
Former Marine John Miranda, of Moorpark, said the League had to take a more active role in December’s campaign because many of the county’s 150 reservists had left for the Gulf. He said the League collected 8,500 toys--40% of the total number donated through the Toys for Tots campaign in Ventura County.
One of the highlights of the awards banquet was a videotaped recording of jubilant children at a Los Angeles school as they opened their presents.
The Marine Corps League has 60 members in its Ventura County detachment, two of whom are on active duty in the Gulf, Miranda said.
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