Tournament to help tots

Jackson Bell

About 120 residents and business leaders took the day off from work

Thursday and braved the heat to tee off in the sixth annual Toys for

Tots Charity Golf Tournament at De Bell Municipal Golf Course.

The U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Foundation, which

kicked off its annual toy drive with the tournament, raised $16,500

and a slew of holiday gifts from golfers. The event was co-sponsored

by JDC Security Systems Inc. and Toyota Motor Sales.

Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Adam Maciel said his unit, which is based

in Encino, collects and distributes toys to children from low-income

families throughout the San Fernando Valley each holiday season.

“Not everyone is as well off as other people, and kids don’t

always understand why a friend might get a toy and they didn’t,”

Maciel said. “We want to help those kids.”

Roger Cusumano, president of the Cusumano Group and a three-year

participant in the tournament, said he is proud to be a part of the

event.

“A wonderful bunch of people put in a lot of time to help the less

fortunate,” Cusumano said. “It shows that the spirit of giving is

really strong [in Burbank].”

First-time participant Clay Crolius agreed, saying that the point

of the tournament isn’t winning.

“So far, [my game] has been up and down -- a few good shots here

and a few bad shots there,” said Crolius, an accountant for Warner

Bros. “But we’re all just out here to have fun and support a good

cause.”