For the eighth year in a row, Camp Pendleton Marines will be collecting new, unwrapped gifts for Toys For Tots in association with the Western Surfing Association surf contest on December 5th and 6th at the San Clemente Pier. This is event 5 of the Salt Life Western Surfing Association Championship Tour.
The primary goal of Toys For Tots is to deliver a message of hope to needy youngsters who might not receive anything this Christmas through a new, shiny toy that will help motivate them to grow into responsible, productive, patriotic citizens and community leaders. “We are so blessed as surfers to be able to live near the beach, and have the time, health and resources to allow us to surf,” said Mary Lou Drummy, WSA Director, “This is a great opportunity for us to give back.”
Competitors in the events will be encouraged to bring a new, unwrapped toy (no war toys or toy guns) to place in the barrel at the event. Camp Pendleton has a particular need for items that appeal to 10 – 17 year olds. New, unworn items of surfwear, hats, skateboards, bodyboards, gift cards . . . anything new and unused that could be put to good use. “It would be great if the surf companies could go through their warehouses and grab any discontinued, promotional or return-to-stock items and bring them to the event to put in the Toys For Tots barrels”, said Drummy.
Toys For Tots, North County Assistant Coordinator, Sgt Kimberly Chavez, stated, “We like to involve all communities with our toy drive. We are so excited to partner with WSA again and have our Marines on hand to collect toys at the contest. The Marines are always very excited to participate in this event, which is always one of our most successful collection events. We always seem to be short of gifts for 0 – 2 year olds and 10 – 17 year olds. Sporting equipment of any kind for the boys, and games and “girlie” items for the teen girls would be greatly appreciated. Checks are also welcome, made out to “Toys For Tots – North County.””
A Toys For Tots Barrel will be available for Toys at the event site and Marines will be on hand on both days collecting toys and donations from 8:00 AM – 2:00 PM. Competitors who donate a toy will receive a long sleeve WSA T-shirt. “Let’s show how generous surfers can be,” said Drummy. “I’d love to see them leave with truckloads of toys.”
About Toys for Tots
The mission of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program is to collect new, unwrapped toys during October, November and December each year, and distribute those toys as Christmas gifts to needy children in the community in which the campaign is conducted. The objectives of Toys for Tots are to help needy children throughout the United States experience the joy of Christmas; to play an active role in the development of one of our nation’s most valuable natural resources – our children; to unite all members of local communities in a common cause for three months each year during the annual toy collection and distribution campaign; and to contribute to better communities in the future. To learn more about Toys For Tots, go to https://www.toysfortots.org/
About WSA
The Western Surfing Association is the largest and oldest amateur surfing organization on the west coast. Established in 1961, the WSA is a California non-profit corporation dedicated to promoting and preserving the sport of surfing through fun, family oriented surf competitions. For more information on the WSA, please visit https://www.SurfWSA.org. WSA is an official West Coast member organization of Surfing America and is the path to earn entry into the Surfing America US Championships and the Surfing America Prime series.
About Surfing America
Surfing America is the ISA-recognized National Governing Body for Surfing in the United States and is responsible for holding the official USA Championships and for selecting and fielding the USA Surf Team. The International Surfing Association (ISA) is recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as the World Governing Authority for Surfing, Bodyboarding, and Surfriding. WSA is a Member Organization of Surfing America serving West Coast athletes. https://SurfingAmerica.org
For more information or to arrange a pick-up of a larger donation please contact: Mary Lou Drummy, WSA, Info@SurfWSA.org
